Disappearance of Charles Bothuell V

The disappearance of Charles Bothuell V was a controversial case of a Detroit teenager who disappeared and was found imprisoned in the basement of his family home in 2014.[1][2][3] His father, Charles Bothuell IV,[4] and stepmother, Monique Dillard-Bothuell,[5] were charged with torture and child abuse. In 2016, Bothuell IV pleaded guilty to fourth-degree child abuse after accepting a plea deal.[6]

Disappearance of Charles Bothuell V
Date2014
LocationDetroit, Michigan, United States
CauseDisappearance of Charles Bothuell V
SuspectsCharles Bothuell IV, Monique Dillard-Bothuell
AccusedCharles Bothuell IV, Monique Dillard-Bothuell
ConvictedCharles Bothuell IV
ChargesFourth-degree child abuse
Verdict18 months probation; mandatory anger management classes; loss of custody

History

In early 2014, Bothuell IV and Dillard-Bothuell reported their son, Bothuell V, missing. Eleven days after they filed the missing persons report,[7] Bothuell V was found in the family's basement,[8] behind boxes. Bothuell IV learned of the discovery of his son on live television while being interviewed by Nancy Grace, which became a viral video on YouTube.[9]

In April 2015, the couple were arrested and charged with torture[10] and second-degree child abuse.[11] The torture charge, which, if proven, could have resulted in life sentences, was later dismissed by the court.[12]

Trial and aftermath

On January 19, 2016, the case was resolved when Bothuell IV pleaded guilty to fourth-degree child abuse in exchange for removal of the second-degree child-abuse charges.[13][14] The prosecutors revealed that Bothuell V was very thin and had marks on his body from the abuse when he was found after being reported missing. Bothuell V testified that he was kept home from school and forced to engage in rigorous exercise routines daily by his parents, in addition to his allegations of being beaten.[14] Bothuell IV also admitted to beating his son with a PVC pipe. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation and mandatory anger management classes. He also lost custody of his son, and was ordered to have no further contact with him.[13] Dillard-Bothuell reportedly accepted a plea deal earlier as well, but the details of this were not made public. It was also reported that her record would be cleared after six months if she stayed out of legal trouble.[15]

See also

References
  1. "Judge: No torture in case of Detroit boy Charlie Bothuell V found in father's basement". CBS News. 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  2. Fowler, Tara (2015-04-29). "Charlie Bothuell V Testifies About Alleged Abuse". People.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  3. Bever, Lindsey (2014-07-11). "The ordeal of Charlie Bothuell, the 'missing' boy found in family basement". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  4. "Timeline of the Charlie Bothuell disappearance | News - Home". Clickondetroit.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  5. "Charlie Bothuell's stepmother accused of hiding boy in basement | News - Home". Clickondetroit.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  6. WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7, Judge binds over father, stepmother of Charlie Bothuell over for trial on child abuse charges, retrieved 2019-01-10
  7. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press (2015-04-16). "Parents of boy held in basement charged with torture". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  8. "Nancy Grace Stuns Charlie Bothuell for Missing Michigan Son". YouTube. 2014-07-03. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  9. "Nancy Grace tells dad missing son found alive". HLN. 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  10. White, Ed (2015-02-20). "Charlie Bothuell IV, Monique Dillard-Bothuel, Accused Of Torturing Boy". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  11. Kim Craig (2015-06-16). "Defense team explains explosive text Charlie Bothuell IV sent to his wife about 12-year-old son". WXYZ.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  12. "Judge: No torture in case of Detroit boy Charlie Bothuell V found in father's basement". CBS News. 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
  13. Crook, Lawrence (2016-01-19). "Detroit dad gets probation for abuse after son's 11-day disappearance". CNN.com. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  14. Local 4 - ClickOnDetroit news staff (2016-01-19). "Charlie Bothuell's father admits to hitting son with PVC pipe". Clickondetroit.com. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  15. "Dad takes plea deal in Detroit boy-in-basement case". Bigstory.ap.org. 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2016-04-09.


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