I am sorry that is occurring, but because of my job I am familiar with how the process is. At some point she will be with a case worker and will go before a judge where she can petition for emancipation. Because of her age she should get free representation. She will need to show some form of proof and maturity level that shows she is capable of taking care of herself and keeping herself out of trouble. This will mean showing that she can support herself, ALONE. The judge will have no guarantee that you and her will stay together.
Her history, past behavior, and how she behaves in court will greatly determine what happens. You need to be careful as well. States very on laws when it comes to consent in certain matters. As you are an adult, depending on the law where you are at, you can receive a restraining order from seeing her once the mother has verbally told you to not contact her. If it is a state where 18 is considered the legal age to consent to sexual relation, if you and her engage you could wind up a registered sex offender.
If your name is going to come up in court, the best thing you can do is show that you can maintain a job, that you have a good record there, etc..
Best wishes.
Each state has such different laws, but like WildHoney said she will have some kind of worker, and a lawyer appointed by the court.
She was probably handcuffed because she is a runaway and running away is a crime, no matter why a kid is running. The details get sorted out later.
If her mother is that bad, she probably said all kinds of bad things about her daughter. That will get sorted out too.
A girl raised in chaos could use a bit of structure in her life. They are assessing her in JuVee, so she needs to follow the rules and the routine.
Hopefully, she can be transferred to something like a supervised group home. She needs to learn how to take care of herself, not to get married or be rescued.
You need wisdom not cash. Both can be hard to come by. Turn the volume down on the drama, way down. Turn off the waterworks at work and stop begging for help. She is getting help. It might not be perfect. but some people in the system actually know what they're doing.
Write her nice letters, don't try to undermine or discourage any help she might be getting. Be her friend, not her fiance.
If you are still reading -- call this help line for kids who need to talk: 800-999-9999. It's the Covenant House 9 line. They know all about runaways, throwaways, juvee, family courts, etc.
For more info, see this site:
50 Ways to Save Our Children
This too shall pass. . .
<<<HUGS>>>