Minnesota Mother Charged After Missing Teen Found in Florida
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A Minneapolis teenager who vanished last winter has been located months later during a traffic stop in Florida.
Investigators say his mother took him out of state despite a court order placing him with his adult sister.
According to the criminal complaint, Regina Diane Burton, 55, is charged with felony deprivation of custodial rights after authorities say she failed to return a 14-year-old boy who left his Minneapolis residence around 4 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2025, and never came back.
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At the time, the boy was under a court order that transferred legal custody away from Burton due to an ongoing child protection case.
Court records show a petition to terminate Burton’s parental rights was filed in January 2024. Days later, a judge ordered the boy into out-of-home placement, and he was placed with his adult sister. Investigators say Burton no longer had legal custody and was prohibited from taking or retaining the child.
As the search continued, law enforcement began receiving information in November 2025 that Burton was living in Florida and that the missing boy was likely with her. Minnesota authorities coordinated with Florida law enforcement as part of the investigation.
The boy was located on Dec. 7, 2025, when a Pinellas County, Florida deputy stopped a vehicle for speeding and identified Burton as the driver. The deputy learned of an active missing person alert connected to Burton and found a child inside the vehicle. Burton told the deputy the child’s name was “Chandler” and claimed he was one of her children. Investigators noted the boy wore a hat pulled low over his eyes and avoided eye contact.
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After a known photograph was provided, the deputy positively identified the child as the missing Minnesota teenager. When the deputy attempted to speak directly with him, Burton became irate and yelled at the officer, according to the complaint. The boy was removed from the vehicle and placed with child protection officials to coordinate his return to Minnesota.
Prosecutors detailed Burton’s lengthy child protection history back to 1991, including the termination of her parental rights to her seven children. Prosecutors allege she has a history of moving between states when she believes child protection authorities are involved. Prosecutors cited those concerns in requesting a warrant, stating Burton was unlikely to voluntarily appear in court.
A judge later signed a nationwide arrest warrant. Bail was set at $50,000 with conditions that include no contact with the victim, making all court appearances, remaining law abiding, electronic home monitoring and an order not to leave Minnesota. If convicted, Burton faces up to two years in prison.
