13-year-old boy, missing since 2010, found alive; concealed behind fake wall

JONESBORO, Georgia – A teen who went missing in 2010 while visiting his father in Florida has been found alive; hidden behind a fake wall in a home in a quiet Jonesboro neighbourhood, south of Atlanta, USA.

Sergeant Kevin Hughes of the Clayton County police said that they had taken into custody five people living in the home; including the boy’s father, Gregory Jean, 37, as well as an adult woman named Samantha Joy Davis. Both Jean and Davis could be charged with false imprisonment, cruelty to children and obstructing an officer.

Hughes added that the three others taken into custody were juveniles, but could also face obstruction charges.

The 13-year-old boy’s mother reported him missing four years ago; however,  she filed the report only with child services and not with the police. Hughes added that no missing person’s report was filed in Clayton County, either.

Police officials said that the teenager recently managed to make a call to his mother, to let her know of his whereabouts. However, when Clayton County police visited the home on Friday to ask about the boy, they were told by Jean and Davis that they knew nothing of the teen.

After a few hours, police returned to search the house. As they were searching, the boy was again able to call his mother to tell her where in the house he was hidden.

“They discovered him hidden behind a false wall in the interior portion of the home,” Hughes said.

The sergeant noted that the boy seemed in good physical health, and that he was finally reunited with his mother, who had arrived in Georgia to be with her son.

Meanwhile, neighbors told the police that the family moved in about six months ago, but that they were generally in the habit of keeping to themselves.

The neighbours also said that it did not seem like the boy went to school, as he was always home; and that he would often spend time keeping the yard well-maintained.

“We just thought that they liked to keep to themselves,” neighbor Julie Pizarro said, as she added that Jean and Davis’ yard was “immaculate” because “the boy kept it that way.

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Police officials added that the criminal charges against Jean and Davis could increase as the investigation into the case continues.