No Charges in Lesbian Custody Case

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

Read Full Bio

Neal Broverman

February 18 2010 3:00 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

Nbroverman

We need your help
Your support makes The Advocate's original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Become a member today to help us continue this work.

The continuing custody saga over little Isabella -- the daughter of two women who were once lovers -- is still unresolved, though one of the women has escaped criminal charges after disappearing with the little girl.

A judge in Bedford County, Va., decided not to press charges against Lisa Miller (pictured, right) on Wednesday, saying the woman couldn't be held in contempt of court because she was never notified of the pending charges -- for the reason that no one knows where she, or 7-year-old Isabella, is. Miller's former partner, Janet Jenkins, wasn't in court either, but her lawyer expressed disappointment at the judge's decision, according to WSET News. Jenkins and her attorney were hoping criminal charges would help located Miller and the girl.

Miller and Jenkins were joined in a Vermont civil union in 2000, but Miller broke up with Jenkins three years later, moved to Virginia, and declared that she was no longer a lesbian. Since then, the women have been arguing over custody of Isabella through both Vermont and Virginia courts. A November Vermont court decision granted Jenkins custody of Isabella because Miller repeatedly denied visitation rights to her former partner.

Read the full story here.