An Indiana legislative study committee will hold discussion tomorrow on whether the General Assembly should consider tougher laws for requiring parents to report the disappearance or death of a child.The discussion was prompted by the public outcry that followed last month’s verdict in the Casey Anthony trial. The Florida woman was acquitted of first-degree murder in the death of her infant daughter, Caylee, who disappeared in 2008.Anthony never reported her child missing, but there was no Florida law on the books requiring her to do so.Indiana State Senator Brent Steele says current Indiana law only requires a person who discovers a dead body to report it within three hours. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor. Steele chairs the study panel that will look into whether the law should be expanded to make it a felony offense, along with failure to report a child’s disappearance within a certain time frame. The committee will also talk about the possible implementation of a new centralized child protection registry.Kentucky lawmakers are also considering similar legislation.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
