The Detroit boy who was missing 11 days before he was found in his father and stepmother’s basement told investigators that his father drove a PVC pipe into his chest, according to papers released Saturday. The state moved to keep the 12-year-old boy, Charlie Bothuell's 4-year-old stepbrother and 10-month-old stepsister from the parents' house.
The boy told medical examiners that a circular scar they found was the result of being struck with the pipe. He also told investigators that the stepmother locked him in the basement, “barricaded behind boxes and totes,” and told him not to come out “no matter what he hears,” according to the state’s petition. His grandmother told the FBI that the last time she saw him, “he was very skinny, and almost looked like a cancer patient,” and had marks all over his arms and chest. The stepmother was released from jail Saturday on an unrelated probation violation but had no comment. The boy is staying with his birth mother, while his siblings were turned over to Child Protective Services when their mother was arrested, according to NBC affiliate ClickOn Detroit.
Sign up for breaking news alerts from NBC News
In Depth
Investigation into Charlie Bothuell's stepmother, father ongoing (ClickOn Detroit)
Missing Boy Charlie Bothuell's Dad Didn't Abuse Him: Lawyer
Dad of Detroit Boy Found Safe in Basement: I Did Nothing Wrong
