Parental Abduction: Can a Parent Kidnap Their Own Child in Texas? Unfortunately, many divorces, civil suits, and child custody battles result in a nasty game of tug-of-war over the children in a family. Many parents believe that hiding their children and keeping them from seeing the other parent is a good way to “get even.” Some even attempt to flee with the child. Not only can this lead to significant ramifications for the offending parent in a custody suit court, but it can also lead to criminal charges. Parental kidnapping is a complex area of the law involving a mixture of the Penal and Family Codes. Here we address one notable area: the taking of a child by his or