A recently resurfaced video shows a shocking moment from 2014, where a Detroit man, Charles Bothuell IV, is informed live on air that his missing 12-year-old son, Charles Bothuell V, has been found in the basement of their own home.
The case garnered global attention after an 11-day search involving the FBI. The discovery during a TV interview added a disturbing twist. Host Grace learned of the development and questioned Bothuell IV if he had checked the basement.
Following the discovery, investigations revealed the boy wasn’t lost but had been hiding from his father and stepmother, Monique Dillard-Bothuell. The reason for hiding, according to Charles V, was fear of his father’s reaction regarding missed exercise routines.
Watch the video here:
The bizarre moment that Charles Bothuell IV was informed on live TV that his son who had been missing for 11 days had been found in his basement.
Following a police investigation, it was revealed that the 12-year-old boy had never been lost; he had simply been hiding from his… pic.twitter.com/rVO3tRdaGe
— Morbid Knowledge (@Morbidful) April 9, 2024
Court documents detailed a gruelling exercise regimen allegedly forced upon the boy by his father, including hundreds of push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, weightlifting, and exercise machine repetitions. Failure to complete the programme within an hour meant restarting the entire workout.
Bothuell IV and Dillard-Bothuell were arrested in 2015 on charges of torture and child abuse. The torture charge, carrying a potential life sentence, was dropped later.
In 2016, as part of a plea deal, Bothuell IV pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of fourth-degree child abuse. Prosecutors documented the boy’s malnourished condition and physical injuries upon discovery.
Bothuell IV received 18 months of probation, mandatory anger management classes, and lost custody of his son with no further contact allowed.
The resurfaced video has sparked social media discussions, with some expressing disbelief at the story’s authenticity.
