An Act To Establish Certain Crimes Relating to Missing or Deceased Children
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1634
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: BLODGETT, MAKER, TIMBERLAKE, THIBODEAU, ALFOND, BEAVERS, GRAHAM, HARLOW, MALONEY, VALENTINO, VOLK, KATZ, MASON

Legislative Document 
No. 1634 
H.P. 1224 
House of Representatives, December 20, 2011 
An Act To Establish Certain Crimes Relating to Missing or 
Deceased Children 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Received by the Clerk of the House on December 16, 2011.  Referred to the Committee on 
Criminal Justice and Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to 
Joint Rule 401. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative BLODGETT of Augusta. 
Cosponsored by Representatives: MAKER of Calais, McCABE of Skowhegan, 
TIMBERLAKE of Turner, Senator THIBODEAU of Waldo, Senator ALFOND of Cumberland 
and Representatives: BEAVERS of South Berwick, GRAHAM of North Yarmouth, HARLOW 
of Portland, MALONEY of Augusta, VALENTINO of Saco, VOLK of Scarborough, Senators: 
KATZ of Kennebec, MASON of Androscoggin. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  17-A MRSA §§558 and 559 are enacted to read: 
§558.  Failure to report a missing child 
1.  A person is guilty of failure to report a missing child if that person fails to make 
contact with or verify the location and safety of a child under 13 years of age in that 
person's care or custody for a period of 48 hours and to immediately report the child as 
missing to a law enforcement agency when the 48-hour period expires unless unable to 
make the report. 
2.  Failure to report a missing child is a Class C crime. 
§559.  Failure to cooperate in the investigation of the death of a child 
1.  A person is guilty of failure to cooperate in the investigation of the death of a child 
if that person, being a parent, foster parent, guardian or other person having care or 
custody of a child, knowingly: 
A.  Fails to notify a law enforcement agency within 2 hours of learning of the child's 
death or likely death or within 2 hours after being able to contact a law enforcement 
agency after learning of the child's death or likely death if the person is unable to 
contact a law enforcement agency due to circumstances beyond the person's control 
during the 2-hour period following learning of the child's death or likely death; 
B.  Fails to provide to a law enforcement agency any medical or other information 
relevant to the investigation of the death of the child; 
C.  Fails to notify a law enforcement agency within 2 hours of learning of the location 
of the child's dead body or within 2 hours of being able to notify a law enforcement 
agency if the person is unable to contact a law enforcement agency within 2 hours of 
learning the location of the child's dead body due to circumstances beyond the 
person's control; 
D.  Gives false information to a law enforcement agency or to an employee of the 
Department of Health and Human Services who is conducting an investigation 
involving the child with the intent to mislead the agency or employee or impede the 
investigation; or 
E.  Otherwise obstructs the investigation of the death of the child. 
2.  Failure to cooperate in the investigation of the death of a child is a Class C crime. 
SUMMARY 
This bill, modeled after "Caylee's Law," introduced in the State of Florida, makes it a 
Class C crime to fail to report a missing child under 13 years of age or to fail to cooperate 
in the investigation of the death of a child.