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§ 568.030 RSMo – First-Degree Child Abandonment in Missouri

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Posted by Christopher Combs on July 21, 2025

568.030. Abandonment of child in the first degree, penalty.

Leaving a young child in danger on purpose is a serious crime.

This law makes it a felony to intentionally leave a child under four in a dangerous situation that could lead to serious injury or death.

1. A person commits first-degree child abandonment if they are a parent, guardian, or someone legally responsible for a child under four years old, and they purposely leave the child somewhere with the intent to abandon them, in a situation likely to cause serious harm or death.

2. This offense is a class B felony. If the child dies because of the abandonment, it becomes a class A felony.

View the full statute here

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