Boy Abducted by Grandfather Is Found, Returned to Gay Couple
A 10-year-old boy abducted by a grandfather who wanted him to be involved in baseball rather than ballet has been returned to the gay couple that has raised him since infancy.
The child, Miguel Washington, 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,” Paul Washington Jr. said.
A custody hearing is scheduled Dec. 4 in Riverside County.
Paul Washington Sr. picked up Miguel for an overnight fishing trip Oct. 6 and never brought him back, Paul 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 Paul Washington Jr.’s sister, Angelena Washington, who is unable to care for Miguel because of a mental disability, family members said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
