Watch CBS News

Grandmother In Center Of Bizarre Custody Dispute Bonds Out Of Jail

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The grandmother of a Southwest Miami-Dade girl who was missing for more than a year has bonded out of jail.

Zoraida Miller, 47, left the Miami-Dade Women's Detention Center early Saturday morning. She was arrested and booked there after producing her granddaughter, 3 year-old Angelina Montes in court Friday. She was charged with Interference of a Custody Order, a 3rd degree felony.

Miller told Judge Cindy Lederman on Friday that she had been caring for the girl the entire time the court thought she had been missing.

It's the latest in a bizarre international custody dispute between the girl's mother Vanessa Churon and father, Samuel Montes, 22. Miller is the mother of Montes.

Montes had officially been missing since March 7 of last year. Churon, had separated from Montes. He took off and was no arrested until early February of this year in Pensacola. He is in jail and is being held on $250,000 bond and also has an immigration hold.

Churon, who had filed the missing persons report about her daughter, eventually went back to Venezuela to give birth to her second child. She is still there. It is not known when she will return.

There are two different stories as to who has custody of the little girl. At the time she disappeared, her mother allegedly had custody. The attorney for the family said the grandparents have custody of Angelina.

The case was further complicated by the fact that Angelina's loved ones are of gypsy descent.

"You've got to understand that our culture is our culture. You can never take that from us," said Angelina's great uncle Louis Evans. "Gypsies are funny about their children. They don't like to show their children in courtrooms like these."

Angelina was evaluated by a DCF child protection team Friday and there will be a "home study" of her grandparents' home.

The Judge also ordered the grandparents not leave this area.

There will be another hearing on March 12th at 1:30 p.m.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.