Section 19-11-61. Procedure where responding court unable to obtain jurisdiction; cooperation of police in locating respondent; transfer of documents upon location of respondent or his property

   (a) If a court of this state, acting as a responding state, is unable to obtain jurisdiction of the respondent or his property, due to inaccuracies or inadequacies in the petition or otherwise, the court shall communicate this fact to the court in the initiating state, shall on its own initiative use all means at its disposal to trace the respondent or his property, and shall hold the case pending the receipt of more accurate information or an amended petition from the court in the initiating state or information from the district attorney that the matter should be transferred as provided in subsection (b) of this Code section. The local police authorities and the state police shall cooperate with the court in locating any respondent alleged by petition to be present in this state.

(b) If the respondent or his property is not found in the county and the district attorney discovers that the respondent or his property may be found in another county of this state or in another state, the district attorney shall so inform the court. If the district attorney so informs the court, the clerk of court shall forward the documents received from the court in the initiating state to the superior court in the county of this state or to the appropriate court, information agency, or other proper officials of another state where the defendant or his property may be found. A clerk of court who so forwards documents shall give notice to the court from which the documents were received that the documents have been so forwarded.

Ga. L. 1958, p. 34, § 17; Ga. L. 1984, p. 387, § 1.