If I can't find my spouse and want a divorce, what can I do?
Question Details:
I live in GA and My wife lives in AL. My wife has been missing for 2 years. Only the occasional phone call. I sent papers certified to her last known address where she resides with a convicted sex offender. We have 2 children of the marriage. She has not signed for the papers and she has had her phone disconnected. My children and I have not seen her in 2 years. What can I do to divorce her and take full custody of my children? And can I have a temp restraining order to protect my children? There were threats from her boyfriend at one point.
You can get what is called a "divorce by default". What you have to do is to have your papers prepared and then filed with the court. At that point a citation will be issued and your spouse will need to be served. In this case, you can "serve" the divorce complaint via a "notice by publication". This is used when a "respondent-spouse" (your wife) cannot be located by the "petitioner-spouse" (you) in a divorce proceeding. The way this works is that the respondent is notified of the divorce proceedings by publishing notice in a local paper in the area of their last known address. Then, after a specified time period (depending on your state's requirements; typically 30 days or so), if your spouse does not answer and defaults, you will then file your final paperwork and appear before the judge (typically in 60 days). A divorce is then granted generally on the terms that you requested.
As for the restraining order, you should discuss this situation with your local police department.
