(CNN) -- Michigan investigators are learning more
about what happened to a Michigan boy after he vanished for almost two
weeks, then suddenly turned up in the basement of his father and
stepmother's home in Detroit.
Police talked with
Charlie Bothuell for the first time Thursday about his disappearance and
the events leading up to the bizarre discovery Wednesday of the boy
hidden away in the basement..
"We are getting some good
information from Charlie," said Detroit Police spokesman Sgt Michael
Woody, but he wouldn't reveal what the boy said.
Police may talk with the
12-year-old, again, as soon as Friday. "We're getting all the
information we can for prosecutors so they can decide whether they'll be
able to file charges, if any," Woody added.
Stepmom of boy found in basement arrested
Missing boy found in father's basement
The boy, who was turned over to his mother's custody, met with child psychologists before talking to police Thursday.
While Woody did say
authorities are not ruling out child abuse in the case, he would not
comment on whether there was any sign of physical abuse against the
child.
In another development
Thursday, the boy's stepmother, identified as Monique Bothuell, was
arrested. She was taken into custody for a probation violation on an
unrelated weapons charge, police confirmed.
Authorities obtained a
warrant for her arrest on Monday, but waited until Thursday to take her
into custody. "The most important thing for us, at the time, was finding
Charlie," Woody said.
In addition to Charlie,
Monique and Charles Bothuell have two other children. Both were taken
into protective custody, investigators added.
The child's father is
not allowed to have any contact with Charlie while the investigation
continues. Investigators said this is standard operating procedure in
such a case.
Father: I have no idea how it happened
The boy was discovered
in the basement behind a barricade Wednesday after numerous searches of
the home in the days following his disappearance on June 14.
"I've never seen anything quite like this," Detroit Police Chief James Craig told CNN affiliate WXYZ-TV.
"We found him barricaded
in the basement, behind boxes and a large ... drum. There's no way he
could have erected this makeshift area of concealment."
Police said when they
found the child in the basement, it appeared he had recently arrived
there and didn't appear to be captive.
In another appearance on
HLN's Nancy Grace show, Charles Bothuell again denied knowing his son
was in the basement. "I have no idea how that happened," he told Grace
on Thursday night.
Bothuell was on the show Wednesday when he was told on live TV by Grace that authorities had found his son in the basement.
Police spokesman: Charlie didn't appear to be captive
Police were executing a
search warrant at the home Wednesday afternoon when they found Charlie
in a corner of a small basement room behind a furnace and a mechanical
unit.
Woody said something in particular led police to the basement but declined to say what it was.
Charlie smiled at police and didn't appear to be a captive, Woody said.
It appeared he arrived there recently, and investigators found cereal and soda in the area, Woody said.
The basement had no restroom, but investigators are working on an assumption that he had access to one, according to Woody.
Woody said police have
not ruled out charges in the case. He said investigators found bloody
clothing at the home but did not elaborate on its significance or say
where exactly it was found.
On Wednesday, Craig, the police chief, said investigators had searched the home four times, including once with a cadaver dog.
"We're not certain Charlie was here during those visits," he said.
Craig was asked during
an impromptu news conference Wednesday whether an adult was responsible
for hiding the boy in the basement.
"We're not ruling that
out," he said. "It would be hard for me to sit here and tell you that
someone didn't know Charlie was there, but I can't say definitively."
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