Hartford- State Representative Christopher Davis voted for a bill on Friday that would allow law enforcement officers to charge a criminal misdemeanor offense to parents and guardians who wait longer than 24 hours to report a missing child under the age of 12.
Commonly referred to as “Caylee’s Law,” An Act Concerning the Reporting of a Missing Child (HB 5512) was initiated in response to the infamous Casey Anthony case heard in a Florida courtroom. In 2008, Anthony who was eventually charged with first-degree murder, waited 31 days to report that her toddler Caylee was missing.
Davis, a co-sponsor of the bill, lamented that such a thing needed to be legislated but said, in the end, the law is common sense.
“This is a law that won’t affect 99% of the population,” Davis said. “In the unfortunate event that a child goes missing most parents report it immediately; but in that incredibly rare situation that the child isn’t reported missing the parents must be held accountable.”
Endorsed by the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, the proposal received unanimous support from the House of Representatives. The bill will head to the Senate for consideration.
