Help Rachel Bring Her Children Home

Rachel Johns is a resident of Saint Louis, Missouri. Her sons Christoph (age 5) and Roland (age 3) went to visit with their dad for summer vacation in Las Vegas, Nevada in May 2016 and he has refused to return them. The boys' father has since moved to an unknown address within the city of North Las Vegas, Nevada. He also restricts regular communication with their sons. This is considered interstate kidnapping because Rachel has a court order that grants her sole physical custody and their father is only granted visitation. Rachel was a victim of domestic violence while in a relationship with the boys' father and fears what the children might be experiencing or witnessing while in his care.

After getting the run around in Missouri, Rachel contacted the Attorney General's office in Nevada to report the children missing. Nevada told Rachel she would have to let their state handle the case but that she was responsible for any court filing fees and all upfront costs associated with retrieving the children. Missouri has jurisdiction over the children as they are residents of that state but the situation gets complicated because they are not psychically within state lines. Rachel has spent weeks commuting back and forth to Nevada trying to follow the rules of the convoluted police and court systems there, to retrieve her children. Every time she has returned to Missouri empty handed. Rachel has been off work without pay trying to resolve this situation. Rachel has no attorney in Missouri or Nevada as she cannot afford the fees and is a tipped wage earner in the hotels and restaurant industry. Missouri courts cannot adequately communicate to Nevada courts due to Rachel's lack of legal representation in both states.

A family court judge in Nevada has set a hearing date for November 17, 2016. Rachel is asking you to help her secure legal counsel in both Missouri and Nevada, fund transportation to go back to Las Vegas for court next Thursday and get her and the children back to Missouri.

The price breakdown is as follows:
Missouri Attorney: $1200
Nevada Attorney: $1400
Court and filing fees: $1800
One way airfare for Rachel: $187 (Frontier Airlines)
Room and board for 3 days: $300
Ground transportation to court and around town: $570 (includes rental car, insurance coverage and refundable deposit)
Return train tickets for Rachel and the children $460 (AmTrak)
Miscellaneous unforeseen expenses: $93