Disappearance of Charles Bothuell V

Charles Bothuell V^[1] is an American male teenager^[2] from Detroit, Michigan^[3] who disappeared in 2014.^[4] His father, Charles Bothuell IV,^[5] and stepmother, Monique Dillard-Bothuell^[6] have been charged with torture and child abuse. In 2016, Bothuell IV plead guilty to fourth-degree child abuse after accepting a plea deal.

History

In early 2014, Bothuell IV and Dillard-Bothuell reported their son, Bothuell V, missing. Eleven days after they filed the missing persons report,^[7] Bothuell V was found in the family's basement^[8] behind boxes. Bothuell IV learned of the discovery of his son on live television while being interviewed by Nancy Grace, which became a viral video on YouTube.

In April 2015, the couple was arrested and charged with torture^[9] and second-degree child abuse.^[10] The torture charge, which could have faced the couple with life in prison, was later dismissed by the court.^[11] The trial for the charges of child abuse was later scheduled for November 2015.^[12]

On January 19, 2016, a verdict in the trial was reached, after Bothuell IV pleaded guilty to fourth-degree child abuse, in exchange for removal of the second-degree child abuse charges.^[13][14] The prosecutors revealed that Bothuell V was very thin and had marks on his body from the abuse when he was found after being reported missing. Bothuell V testified that he was kept home from school and forced to engage in rigorous exercise routines daily by his parents, in addition to his allegations of being beaten.^[14] Bothuell IV also admitted to beating his son with a PVC pipe. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation and mandatory anger management classes. He also lost custody of his son, and was ordered to have no further contact with him.^[13] Dillard-Bothuell reportedly accepted a plea deal earlier as well, but the details of this were not made public. It was also reported that her record would be cleared after six months if she stayed out of legal trouble.^[15]

References