A 10-year-old boy abducted by his grandfather who wanted him to be involved in baseball rather than ballet, has been returned to the gay couple who raised him since infancy, his uncle said.
The child, Miguel, was surrendered to authorities by relatives in Pennsylvania on Friday and returned to the home of his uncle, Paul Washington Jr., and Timothy Forrester on Sunday.
"Right now he's really happy to be home," Washington Jr. said. "We're absolutely elated. Our family is united again."
An attorney for Paul Washington Sr. and Sandra Washington, Miguel's grandparents, said his clients intend to pursue custody.
"My clients don't feel that's the best home for him," said attorney Bill Hence Jr. "I'm very disappointed in the agencies that were supposed to be protecting the rights of the child."
A hearing is scheduled Dec. 4 in Riverside County to decide permanent custody of Miguel.
Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Tex Ritter said his office is reviewing the possibility of filing criminal charges in connection with Miguel's abduction.
"We're going to review the strengths and weaknesses of the case before we make any determination as to whether any charges will be filed," Ritter said.
Washington Sr. picked up Miguel for an overnight fishing trip on Oct. 6 and never brought him back, Washington Jr. said.
Instead, Washington and Forrester received a letter from a Los Angeles law firm Oct. 7 stating that Miguel had been removed from their home and accused the pair of "actively promoting or influencing a gay lifestyle for the minor."
The letter cited Miguel's participation in ballet and "gay art class" instead of baseball as one reason for the boy's removal.
Miguel is the child of Washington Jr.'s sister, Angelena Washington, who is unable to care for Miguel because of a mental disability, family members said.
The younger Washington has cared for Miguel since he was 8 days old with the consent of family members, said Ritter, who heads the Riverside County Child Abduction Unit. No formal custody arrangement has ever been made, he said.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Randall D. White issued an order Oct. 13 for Miguel to be returned to the home of Washington Jr. and Forrester.<
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Poetry Without Borders 2026 is an annual poetry contest for youth of all ages. It is being j… Read morePoetry Without Borders 2026
“Powerful, moving, and exhilarating” Read moreSongs For A New World
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Yes Mike, Linda is in on the dumbing of America.
CA Is Burning said:
Mike Caggiano said:
Absolutely terrific letter Lara. Keep 'em coming.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.