Weston man flees with 11-year-old son who was to be turned over to mother, deputies say

Clay Miller, 50, was supposed to turn son over on Aug. 7

WESTON, Fla. – Broward Sheriff's Office special victim's unit detectives are searching for a Weston man and his 11-year-old son, who authorities said was supposed to be turned over to his mother nearly two months ago.

Deputies said Austin Miller's mother arrived in Broward County on Aug. 7 after the boy had spent the summer with his father at his home in Weston. 

Austin's mother, Michelle Granado, told Local 10 News reporter Carlos Suarez that she and Clay Miller, 50, have shared custody of their child. 

She said he was supposed to drop their son off at the airport, where she was waiting to take him back to California.

"An hour prior to our departure, I'm texting him, 'Where are you? I'm at the curbside,' and no response," Granado said. "I called their cellphones ... and the phones were completely turned off." 

Granado is worried because she has not had any communication with her son for two months.

"I have not talked to Austin in two months now. I have not seen him or heard from him, and I have no idea where he is. He's not communicating with anyone," she said.  

Granado said Miller has run off with their son before but returned after a couple of days. 

"He did the same thing in April and I had to go to Florida to pick up Austin, and he never showed up in April, and I had to go the courts," she said. 

Detectives said the family has been trying to resolve the issue amicably, but authorities are becoming increasingly concerned about Austin's whereabouts.

"Typically, in cases like this, we'll have people that are trying to withhold custody for a reason that may come forward and say, 'You know, I was concerned about safety concerns or something else,'" Detective Robert Rausch said. "However, since then, we still haven't heard anything from the father and we've been following up on all available resource to try to locate him." 

A neighbor at Miller’s apartment complex said she last saw the pair around the time Hurricane Irma made its way through the state. 

Neighbors said the shutters were put up at the apartment and later taken down, but Miller hasn't been seen since. 

Authorities said Miller drives a 2008 red Lexus LS460 with Florida license plate CRNU75. 

Detectives said they are looking for information about Austin's wellbeing and current whereabouts. They said they have no reason to believe that the boy is in danger. 

Granado said a court hearing was scheduled for this month regarding the custody agreement. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Robert Rausch at 954-321-4234 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.