HB984: HB984 Crimes and offenses; court order to locate an alleged victim of child or elder abuse; provide

Under current Georgia law, when police are investigating suspected cruelty to a child or abuse of a disabled adult or elder person, they can lose track of the alleged victim if that person is moved to an unknown location. This bill addresses that gap by amending two sections of Georgia's criminal code, the child cruelty law (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-70) and the law covering exploitation and intimidation of disabled adults, elder persons, and residents (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-102). The bill adds a new provision to each law allowing the superior court in the county of the victim's last known address to issue an order locating the parent, guardian, or caretaker of record, if law enforcement shows the inquiry is necessary to complete an open investigation into suspected abuse. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws. It does not state a separate effective date beyond the standard process for bills becoming law.

• Adds a new subsection to Georgia's cruelty to children law (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-70) letting a superior court order the location of a child's parent or guardian during an open abuse investigation if the child moved to an unknown address.
• Adds a similar new subsection to the law on exploitation and intimidation of disabled adults, elder persons, and residents (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-102), covering guardians of disabled adults, elder persons, or residents.
• Requires law enforcement to show the court that locating the guardian or parent is necessary to complete the investigation before the order can be granted.
• Assigns jurisdiction for these location orders to the superior court in the county of the victim's last known address.
• Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with these new provisions.

The bill affects law enforcement agencies investigating child cruelty or elder and disabled adult abuse, superior courts handling these cases, and parents, guardians, or caretakers whose whereabouts become unknown during such an investigation.

If an alleged child or elder abuse victim moves to an unknown location during an active investigation, police could ask a superior court for an order to help find the parent or guardian, potentially helping investigators check on the victim's safety and keep the case moving.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 16-5-70 (cruelty to children) by adding subsection (f), authorizing a locate order when a child under investigation moves from a known to unknown address.
• Section 1 requires a law enforcement official to show the inquiry is necessary to complete the ongoing investigation before a court will grant the order.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 16-5-102 (exploitation and intimidation of disabled adults, elder persons, and residents) with a parallel subsection (d) covering guardians of disabled adults, elder persons, or residents.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause clearing away inconsistent existing statutes.

1. 2026-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-01-27House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-01-16House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-01-15House Hopper (House)

• Beth Camp (R, HD-135)Primary sponsor
• Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)
• Joseph Gullett (R, HD-019)
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)

• child abuse
• elder abuse
• criminal investigations
• court orders
• disabled adult protections