Within 24 hours, four juveniles from around Acadiana ran away and were found.

A child runaway expert tells News 10 there can be many different reasons why children run away. 

“There’s a misconception that kids who runaway are running to something- a boyfriend or girlfriend or freedom. Research tells us that the majority of kids who run away are running from something in the home,” says Dr. Michelle Jeanis with the Criminal Justice department at the University of Louisiana at LAfayette. 

She works with law enforcement agencies and non-profit organizations studying missing persons and youth runaways. 

“A lot of time we see more running away at the commencement of the school semester, so it could be that it gets extra stressful at home when all the sudden we have routines and you have to do your homework and that sort of thing,” says Jeanis. 

“The first thing you really do is look at an individual’s vulnerability and find out if there is anything that causes them to be in jeopardy or harm. Then based on the search urgency, that’s when you decide to take the next step and call everybody or some people. It just depends on the investigation,” said John Mowell with Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. He says the more urgent the search, the more robust the response will be. 

All runaway calls are taken seriously because of the dangers of these children can face.

 “The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says that one in six runaways are at risk for exploitation and human trafficking and all of those other ways in which people who want to do bad things can prey on these vulnerable kids,” says Jeanis. 

The Lafayette Parish Department says they take all runaway cases seriously. If you find a child is missing the first thing you should do is call local law enforcement. 

“The first thing you really do is look at an individual’s vulnerability and find out if there is anything that causes them to be in jeopardy or harm. Then based on the search urgency, that’s when you decide to take the next step and call everybody or some people. It just depends on the investigation,” said John Mowell with Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. He says the more urgent the search, the more robust the response will be. 

All runaway calls are taken seriously because of the dangers of these children can face.

 “The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says that one in six runaways are at risk for exploitation and human trafficking and all of those other ways in which people who want to do bad things can prey on these vulnerable kids,” says Jeanis. 

The Lafayette Parish Department says they take all runaway cases seriously. If you find a child is missing the first thing you should do is call local law enforcement.