need advice with Missouri law

[Tex2011]

A friend of mine (a 17 year old girl) that resides in Missouri has been living on the streets for approx 6 weeks now and has gotten mixed up in drugs. Her mother is letting her stay on the streets to fend for herself even though technically she is still able to force her to live in her home (from what I have been told on Missouri state law). As a result, my friend is wanting to move back to Texas (where I am from and where she was raised) so that she can get her life back together and make something out of herself. I know here in Texas you can legally move out of your parents’ house at 17 and not have to worry about legal issues. My question is this,...what can I do in order to help her come back to Texas where she can actually get her life together? She has asked me to come up and get her, which I am willing to do, but I need to find out what the legal boundaries are on what can be done. I do not want her nor myself to get in any sort of trouble nor do I want to just sit back and chance something happening to her that could cost her her life. She is in the Springfield area and I have spoken to a few friends I have up there that have seen for themselves how young girls like my friend have gotten mixed up with the "undesirables" type of people and as a end result be forced into prostitution or even worse, death. She is a bright kid and has the will to push herself to make something out of herself. But as long as she is around her mother, all she gets is degraded and put down. Any and all advice will be read and taken into consideration and I will answer any questions that you may have about the other criteria surrounding the situation to the best of my ability. I was initially told that there would be no legal issue with me going to get her and bringing her back here but then told other-wise by another party. So PLEASE help me get a better idea on what steps can be taken.

[Citicop]

You can legally leave home in MO at 17 as well.

So if she wants to move to Texas, she can.

-Citicop.

[Tex2011]

Ok, but what about me coming up from Texas and transporting her back down here? And would you happen to know the code reference # so I can look it up and print it out so to have it onhand incase I am pulled over and the officer contests it with me?