Canada Journal – News of the World Articles and videos to bring you the biggest Canadian news stories from across the country every day
Detroit Police say the missing 12-year-old boy, Charlie Bothuell, has been found alive in the basement of his father’s house.
Charlie Bothuell was last seen on June 14 at his dad’s house in the 1300 block of Nicolet Place.
Chief James Craig says he can’t say definitively that Charlie had been in the basement the entire time, since they had previously done searches of the home.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Detroit Police Chief James Craig told local WXYZ television adding the child indicated he was hungry and seemed excited to see police.
Craig said the boy was hidden behind a make-shift barrier he could have hardly erected alone.
“We found him barricaded in the basement, behind boxes and a large five-gallon drum. There’s no way he could have erected this makeshift area of concealment,” Craig said.
To add to the drama, the boy’s father, Charles Bothuell IV, was discussing the case live on television when he was told his son had been found alive in his basement.
Bothuell looked visibly shocked at the news and remained speechless for some time.
A few hours earlier, police had held a press conference saying they weren’t ruling out the possibility of a homicide in the child’s disappearance.
“I checked my basement,” Bothuell said after recovering enough to speak. “The FBI checked my basement. The police checked my basement. My wife checked my basement. I’ve been down there several times. We’ve all been checking.
“To imply that I knew my son was in the basement is absurd,” he added later. “I thought my son was dead,” he said breaking down in tears.
The youngster was reported missing on June 14, after he left home at night.
Bothuell said Charlie had run away from home one time before, two years ago, but was found after a few hours.
Craig said detectives had searched the basement four times since the child went missing and also once used a police dog.
“We’re not certain Charlie was here during those visits,” Craig said.
Agencies/Canadajournal
