NBCThe 11-day search for a missing 12-year-old boy in Detroit came to an end Tuesday when he was found alive and well in the family's basement.
His father, Charles Bothuell IV, was a guest on Nancy Grace's show when he was informed, on live TV, where his son Charlie had been found. The dad appeared stunned, remaining silent for several moments before finally asking, "What?"
When asked how Charlie could have been found in his father's home, the boy's father responded, "I have no idea...I checked my basement, the FBI checked my basement, the Detroit police checked my basement, my wife checked my basement."
"I've been down there several times—we've all been checking," he said. Authorities confirmed police had been inside the home with cadaver dogs. But as Detroit Police Chief James Craig told Today, "We're not certain during those visits--we're not certain at all. Because the question I would ask is how could we miss [him]?"
Craig said Charlie was found crouching behind a makeshift barricade of boxes in the basement,
NBC station WDIV reported, and Detroit police spokeswoman Jennifer Moreno told NBC News on Thursday that detectives found cereal and soda with the boy when they discovered him.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
"He was nervous but excited, and glad to see police," noted Craig, saying that it seemed unlikely Charlie could have built the barricade himself. Detroit's police chief said the boy has been taken into police custody and "will get two things—medical treatment and some food."
Craig said Charles Bothuell IV had been administered a lie-detector test by the FBI, but results were inconclusive, WDIV reported. Police spokeswoman Moreno noted that at this point, no criminal charged were being pursued.
NBC station WDIV reported that investigators found traces of blood in the house earlier in their investigation, but Detroit police would not confirm that to NBC News.
"We're regrouping and we have to refocus the investigation now that we have found him alive and well," Moreno said.
On Thursday, police would not comment publicly on Charlie's health.
Charles Bothuell IV called assertions that his wife, the boy's stepmother, would hide him in the basement "absurd," telling WDIV, "My wife wouldn't do that."
As for Charles Bothuell IV, his mom (and Charlie's paternal grandmother) told the station, "My son has nothing to do with this. I know my son."
Detroit's police chief said, per WDIV, "As in any missing investigation, we certainly look at close family members," calling it a "normal investigation."