tiredIn one of my stories, one of the main characters runs into a young girl (say, between four and six) who is obviously lost and looks like she's not very well taken care of. The main character finds her in a large hotel. She (the main character) decides to help the girl find some help, or her parents (the younger girl isn't very talkative, and thus the older woman doesn't really know how to locate them). After Random Death-Defying Action Scene, in which the woman protects the younger girl, the police are contacted and it's established that the girl's parents are no-where to be found, and the little girl doesn't know their names- she states she hasn't seen them for a while.
My question is, would the older character be able to retain temporary custody of the child? I want the older character- a wealthy woman in her early-20's, no husband, no criminal record- to keep an eye out for the girl. The child likes her. Would the fact that the woman is from out of state affect her ability to take care of the girl? The story is set in the US, and the state isn't that important, although I'm looking at something with a high-influx of visitors- think NYC, Las Vegas, etc. My character would be willing to stay behind to care for the kid. Things like paperwork and such aren't a problem, I just need to know if it's legally possible.
ETA: The little girl's family can't be found, at least immediately. No-one can tell if she's a local child or if her family is/were tourists in the area. So there's no family to take her in.
Thank you so much!
