Source: newsweek.com
Just yesterday a 16 year old girl was found in Mexico with her friends dad. She was reported missing last week after she did not come home from school. Now they know she was taken out of school by this man, posing to be her step-dad. They flew to Cancun and were discovered there. Her mom reviewed hundreds of text messages between the couple, she suspects that they have had sexual relations, which could result in a statutory rape charge. As of right now there is no kidnapping or rape charges, just custodial interference.
Analysis:
She is a 16 year old girl, her brain is not fully developed and yes she knew what she was doing was wrong and still did it, but he is the adult. In this situation he needed to say this wasn't right and put a stop to it before they fled. She left with him willingly so I think she also is at somewhat fault and I think it should still be considered as kidnapping and if there is proof of sexual relations then statutory rape as well.
Questions:
Do you guys think he should be charged with all three crimes?
Do you think the girl is at fault as well?
12 comments:
I do not think the girl is at fault at all, as she is an immature minor who was taken advantage of by an pedophile who should have known better. Perhaps there are no kidnapping charges because the mother decided not to press them against him, but if there is evidence of a sexual relationship he should be charged with statutory rape.
Considering that she is 16, I feel like she should take some responsibility for this incident. Yes she is young, and her brain hasn't fully developed yet; however, I feel like 16 is an age where one can decipher between right and wrong. Anyhow, I am glad that the girl is safely home, and she probably will never fall into such a trap again making this event one that she can learn from. Of course the man is predominantly at fault in this case as he has no excuse for his actions. However, what I am really confused by, is how the school just believed her when she said that the man was her step-dad. Shouldn't the school have verified with her mom? I think the school needs to change its policy regarding this to prevent this from happening again.
I honestly think that the dad's friend should get charged with all 3 offenses. There is just no excuse for an old man to have this kind of relationships with a 16-year-old and since she is still under 18, this is a clear case of statutory rape. While I understand that the girl probably left willingly with him, I don't think that the girl should be actually charged with anything. She is only 16 and while she has the ability to decipher between right and wrong, the old man should be fully at fault.
I believe she is at fault, at least partly. She may be 16 but she should know what's right and what's wrong. In the article, it said that the girl was talking to the man like he was her boyfriend so she may have been blinded by love. The man should be charged with all three crimes if the mother of the girl decides to press charges. He is fully aware of the consequences yet he still decided to commit the crime(I would say the same about the girl but she's a minor and cannot be charged the same way). Similar the Emily, I also believe the school should be somewhat at fault. It's nonsense for the school to believe he is her stepfather and should've verified with her mother.
I think they are both at fault, but the adult having more of a fault over the 16-year old girl. I believe he should have known better than to be involved in a sexual relationship with someone under the legal age of consent, so if there was sexual relations, he should be charged with statutory rape. I also believe that he should've known better than to follow along or suggest the "run away" plan as there's no possible way they could've gotten away with it in the long run. If it was his suggestion to run away, then I believe he should be charged with kidnapping. If it was her suggestion, then I wouldn't think he should be charged with that. Lack of common sense yes, but kidnapping requires lack of consent for it to be defined as such. While I do believe the girl to be partially of fault, I do not think she should be charged with any legal consequences.
I don't know much about the case but given your summary, they are both at fault. Yes, she's a minor but she clearly knew what she was doing (assuming she was not forced to leave with this man). Since the man is over age, he is obviously going to face more severe consequences but nevertheless they both need psychological help, especially the 16 year old girl. This case overall is extremely disgusting and the man needs to be put behind bars. The girl is probably/should be charged for running away (again, assuming she left willingly) but should most importantly receive mental help from a professional psychologist.
I think that both individuals in this case are in the wrong. This is just disturbing, and you would think that since the friend's dad is an adult, he would know his morals and what's right and wrong. He should have known better than to take on a sexual relationship with a 16 year old. I understand that some may believe that the girl was young and she might have fell into a trap, but at that age she should've been able to tell from right and wrong and what is morally wrong. I'm glad that she's back home, and I hope she learned from this experience. In addition, I believe the friend's dad should be held accountable and charged with all three offenses.
From what I can tell in the summary I think both the girl and the friends dad are at fault. The friends dad is obviously at fault for taking the girl without her parents permission and also because she is underage she can't give consent to go all the way to Mexico with her friends dad. I think the dad should be charged with all 3 offenses. While I think the girl should have known something was wrong, she is still 16 and shouldn't be reprimanded.
I think that she is at fault just as much as he is. As an adult he should have been mature and sane enough to put a stop to this while he could, but he kept it going and that is completely wrong. However, as a 16 year old, it is deranged for her to go and have a relationship with her friend's dad. This is completely out of place from both parties. I don't know the laws but I don't think he should be charged with kidnapping because in my opinion it wasn't a kidnap. They both agreed to leave. Although the reasons were not normal and kind of gross, no one seemed to have force either of them to leave. It was consensual and therefore not a kidnap. I think he should be charged with rape because as an adult he should have known more then her that this is wrong. I think their actions are immature and both of them should get psychological help. I don't think any 16 year old would be considered healthy when fleeing with an adult to Mexico to have a romantic relationship with. With that said, I believe this man probably took advantage of this girl because she is so young and probably doesn't fully realize what she has done/has been involved in.
The rational part of the human brain will not be developed until the age of 25. The girl is only 16 years old and therefore should not be at fault for leaving school. I do think this man should be charged with at least something other than rape because he did provide a false identity into getting her out of school. This is very problematic because it not only puts the safety of the school in jeopardy, but ultimately her safety. The fact that she was found in Mexico, approximately couple thousand miles away, is all messed up. I agree with Julia on the fact that the man should not be charged with kidnapping because both have agreed to leave. I also feel like the school is fully responsible for this situation. When a student attends school, the school is held accountable until the school session ends. Therefore, no matter what happens to the student, the school is responsible. This event is a clear piece of evidence in the lack of safety in schools. Look at how easy it was for this man to check this 16 year old out of school. Provide a fake name and done. We out. Must be some kind of joke to have such flawed safety system.
I think that both the girl and the man are both at fault. She's only 16 however she knew what she was doing was wrong, yet she still did it. From the summary it doesn't seem like she was forced to do anything, as they both agreed to go, so she clearly knew what his intentions were. I think he should be charged with rape but I agree with Julia that it doesn't seem like a kidnapping. The man should've been reasonable enough to know how wrong his actions were. He is an adult and shouldn't have acted the way he did. He should know what's right and wrong. He has no excuse because his brain is fully developed already. I also think that the school should be at fault. They should have verified with the mom before letting him just come and pick her up from school. The school definitely need to make a change to their policy.
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