Legal Question in Criminal Law in Missouri

A person can be held in custody for up to twenty-four hours without being charged with a crime, but then must be released. The law enforcement authorities do not have to bring charges within either forty-eight or seventy-eight hours. Sometimes charges are not filed for a long time, months or even years. There are statutes of limitations which do require most charges to be brought within a certain period of time, but some things like "murder" have no statute of limitations. If you are in any situation like this, you need to consult with an attorney.