Thursday, June 26, 2014
DETROIT (AP) — Authorities say a 12-year-old Detroit boy who went missing for 10 days before turning up in his own basement has been released from the hospital.
Police Sgt. Mike Woody said today that investigators still need to speak with Charlie Bothuell V, but that he’s been medically cleared and is “doing fine.”
Woody says police are now focusing on the circumstances surrounding the boy’s disappearance and his surprising recovery Wednesday afternoon. Officers found him hiding behind boxes and a large plastic drum in his basement, with bedding nearby.
His father, who made tearful television pleas for help, says he had no idea his son was in the basement. Police don’t believe he was in there the whole time.
Woody wouldn’t say whether the boy was returned to his father and stepmother.