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Update — August 5, 2024
Zohe has been safely returned to her father.
Thanks to the Coldwater Police Department for locating and returning Zohe Pierce to her father, Eric Pierce, one day after this alert was published. The original alert is preserved below as a public record of the incident and the documented refusal by Michigan State Police to act on a signed court order.
Original Alert — Published August 4, 2024
A 12-year-old West Michigan girl is missing and considered endangered after becoming a victim of parental abduction.
In a press release issued by RJ Baker and Associates, PLLC in Allegan, Michigan, Zohe Pierce was taken by her non-custodial parent on July 28, 2024. Zohe has been without medication for nearly a week and is considered missing endangered.
An order to return the child was signed by Judge Matthew Antkoviak of the Allegan County Circuit Court. Astonishingly, Michigan State Police is refusing to intervene — instead choosing to make Eric Pierce, Zohe’s father, jump through hoop after hoop to enforce a court order that has already been issued.
Zohe’s mother has previously threatened to flee the country with Zohe.
Photo courtesy of Eric Pierce.
Child
Zohe Pierce, age 12, West Michigan
Taken By
Non-custodial parent, July 28, 2024
Court Order
Return order signed by Judge Antkoviak, Allegan County Circuit Court
Resolved By
Coldwater Police Department, August 5, 2024
Michigan Law — MCL 750.350a
Concealing the location of a child from a natural parent for more than 24 hours is a criminal offense in Michigan. Parental kidnapping — also called custodial interference — occurs when a non-custodial parent takes or retains a child in violation of an existing custody order. The existence of a signed court order for the child’s return does not guarantee law enforcement response; as this case illustrates, enforcement depends entirely on the responding agency.
Read MCL 750.350a ?
A Systemic Problem: MSP and Court Order Enforcement
The fact that Zohe was ultimately recovered is the best possible outcome. The fact that it required a separate police department to act — after a court order had already been signed and Michigan State Police declined to enforce it — is not a footnote. It is the story.
A father with a signed court order from a circuit court judge should not have to navigate bureaucratic obstruction while his medically vulnerable daughter is missing. The MSP’s refusal to act on that order raises direct questions about how court orders in custodial interference cases are — or are not — prioritized in Michigan.
Forthcoming Coverage
A detailed examination of Michigan State Police’s pattern of refusing to enforce court orders in custodial cases is forthcoming. This case is not an isolated incident. If you have experienced similar refusal by MSP to enforce an active court order,
contact Clutch Justice ?
Related — Allegan County and Court Accountability
How to cite: Williams, R. [Rita]. (2024, August 4). Allegan County Father Seeking Safe Return of Michigan Parental Kidnapping Victim. Clutch Justice. https://clutchjustice.com/2024/08/04/zohe-pierce-missing/
