A 23-year-old San Mateo woman is behind bars facing first-degree felony child abuse charges following a grueling, multi-county investigation that uncovered a horrific pattern of abuse and a calculated trail of deception.
Hunter Deeann Miller was arrested yesterday after a warrant was issued by Judge Washington. She was booked into the Putnam County Jail and subsequently released on a $50,000 bond. Under the conditions of her release, Miller is strictly prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with children.
The case began unfolding in November 2025 when Miller brought the victim, an infant less than a year old, to a St. Johns County emergency room with a broken arm. Because the injury was suspected to have occurred at a residence in Palm Coast during Thanksgiving, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office immediately contacted the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
From the outset, Miller attempted to shift the blame, telling deputies that she witnessed another individual drop the child on the floor at the Palm Coast home. However, investigators quickly dismantled that story. Home security cameras reviewed by authorities proved the child was never dropped and never fell while at the residence.
In January, the case was transferred to Putnam County detectives, who expanded the investigation to look into both Miller and the individual she had accused. As the investigation deepened, the child’s biological father discovered and handed over a series of medical reports detailing past injuries.
A comprehensive forensic medical analysis revealed a staggering reality: the infant had sustained 10 potential fractures. Given the baby’s age, the child had suffered more than one bone fracture for every month of its short life.
Interviews with multiple sources eventually cleared the person Miller had initially accused of any wrongdoing. Investigators noted that several of the baby’s fractures had actually occurred before that individual had ever even met the child.
The monthslong investigation exposed what authorities described as a deliberate attempt to derail the justice system and evade accountability.
“This case was full of deception and lies by the suspect in order to protect herself,” Sheriff H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach said. “She pointed fingers at innocent people to disrupt their lives in a pattern that became all too familiar for her. Sorting through those lies took time to ensure we got her away from the lives of the helpless she sought to destroy. The sad part of all of this is some people sought to protect her over this child. All I can say is – shame on them.”
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