Based on 2021 changes to law, we updated Who can get custody? in our Missouri Custody section to explain that if custody is going to be given to a non-parent, the first preference is someone who is related by blood (consanguinity) or marriage (affinity) to the child. In our Missouri Restraining Orders section, we updated What is the legal definition of domestic violence in Missouri? and What is the definition of stalking in Missouri? to include the new examples of stalking included in the law and to specify that it could be done with a device or other technology.




