{"data":{"id":"us-wv/w.-va.-code-49-1-209","jurisdiction":"us-wv","citation":"W. Va. Code § 49-1-209","heading":"Definitions related, but not limited, to missing children.","body":"As used in article six of this chapter:\n“Child” means an individual under the age of eighteen years who is not emancipated;\n“Clearinghouse” means the West Virginia missing children information clearinghouse;\n“Custodian” means a parent, guardian, custodian or other person who exercises legal physical control, care or custody of a child;\n“Missing child” means a child whose whereabouts are unknown to the child's custodian and the circumstances of whose absence indicate that:\n(A) The child did not leave the care and control of the custodian voluntarily and the taking of the child was not authorized by law; or\n(B) The child voluntarily left the care and control of his or her custodian without the custodian's consent and without intent to return;\n“Missing child report” means information that is:\n(A) Given to a law-enforcement agency on a form used for sending information to the national crime information center; and\n(B) About a child whose whereabouts are unknown to the reporter and who is alleged in the form submitted by the reporter to be missing;\n“Possible match” means the similarities between an unidentified body of a child and a missing child that would lead one to believe they are the same child;\n“Reporter” means the person who reports a missing child; and\n“State agency” means an agency of the state, political subdivision of the state or public post-secondary educational institution.","path":["CHAPTER 49. CHILD WELFARE.","ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS."],"source_url":"https://code.wvlegislature.gov/49-1-209/","current_through":"as of 2026-08-03; contains at least the enactments of the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T00:30:37Z","sha256":"e56851ae110ecec6a9f50f13466bbe47593bfdb5265320ee10537b04a15fd3c1","source_id":"us-wv","stale":true,"prev":"us-wv/w.-va.-code-49-1-208","next":"us-wv/w.-va.-code-49-2-101"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}