USA - GEORGIA BOY FOUND AFTER MISSING FOR 4 YEARS

Father and four others held after missing Georgia boy found behind false wall

Boy, 13, reunited with mother after being reported missing four years ago
Man, woman and three juveniles charged after boy found hidden in home

Associated Press in Jonesboro, Georgia
theguardian.com, Saturday 29 November 2014 20.24 GMT

A man and woman face charges of false imprisonment, cruelty to children and obstruction, and three juveniles have also been charged, Clayton County police said.

The father of a teenage boy and four other people have been arrested after the child was found in a home in Clayton County, south of Atlanta, police said on Saturday.

The boy, 13, had been reported missing four years ago, and was reunited with his mother after police found him at about 2am on Saturday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The father and a woman at the home face charges of false imprisonment, cruelty to children and obstruction, WSB-TV reported. Police said three juveniles were also arrested.

Police say people at the home denied any knowledge about the child when officers arrived late on Friday night. But police returned early on Saturday and found the boy because he was able to call his mother while officers were at the house, Sergeant Kevin Hughes of Clayton County police said.

“While at the location during the second call, the victim was able to establish phone contact with his mother and she in turn passed on additional information to the officers on the scene,” Hughes said. “The victim was found behind a false wall within the residence.”

It was not clear on Saturday how the boy was reported missing, or to which agency.

Authorities said the boy was visiting his father in 2010, and that the father refused to return the boy to his mother, WSB reported.

There were many unanswered questions on Saturday about who has custody of the boy, Deputy Chief Mike Register of Clayton County police told WSB.

Police could not immediately be reached on Saturday by the Associated Press.

The boy will probably stay in the custody of the Georgia division of family and children services to ensure the child’s safety, the Atlanta TV station reported.

 http://news.sky.com/story/1382853/boy-m ... false-wall

A boy reported missing four years ago has been found hidden behind a false wall at a home in the US state of Georgia, according to local media.

Police first visited the house in suburban Atlanta shortly before 11pm on Friday to perform a welfare check after receiving a tip-off.

Clayton County Police Sgt Kevin Hughes said the occupants of the Jonesboro property denied knowing anything about a missing boy.

Investigators searched the home, but did not find anything.

The police department received another call at about 2am on Saturday, leading officers back to carry out a more thorough search.

During their second visit, the 13-year-old boy was able to call his mother, who lives in Florida.

She passed along critical information to officers on scene, Sgt Hughes told local media.

The boy, whose name has not been released, was found behind a panel in a linen closet in the garage, reports WSBTV.

Police Sergeant Joanne Southerland told the station that the boy was "frozen with fear".

When he realised he was safe, he repeatedly thanked the officers and was "overjoyed", according to the channel.

The boy had recently been able to make contact with his mother after downloading a messaging app on to a mobile phone.

Five people at the house were arrested and charged with obstruction, false imprisonment and cruelty to children.

Two of them were the boy's father and stepmother. The three others were juveniles.

Further charges are expected.

A neighbour told WSBTV the boy was frequently outside the house, mostly doing chores but sometimes playing.

The boy's father reportedly refused to return him to his mother in Florida after a visit in 2010.

According to WSBTV, the child's biological mother is an immigrant who reported him missing to child welfare authorities, but not to the police.

She was reunited with her son on Saturday morning, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The boy has reportedly been placed in state custody until investigators can unravel the case.