There’s no script for this.
In an interview Wednesday night with Charlie Bothuell IV, Nancy Grace was the first to let the Detroit father know his missing son had been found in his own basement.
“Charlie, we are getting reports that your son has been found in your basement,” said the usually over-dramatic Grace.
Six seconds of silence followed. The two’s confused facial expressions did all the talking.
“Sir,” Grace said, breaking the silence.
“What?” asked an exasperated Bothuell.
Not even giving him time to process the news, Grace went straight to grilling the father.
“How could he be found in your basement?” she asked.
Bothuell continued to breath heavy, clutching his chest, but did remain in his seat.
He mumbled “oh sh-t” before telling Grace, “I have no idea.”
Grace reminded the father that this was just a report and proceeded on-air to tell her staff in New York to “get on it.”
Bothuell explained that he, his wife, the Detroit police, the FBI and the police dogs all searched his basement throughout the 11 days his son, Charlie, was missing. He also explained his phone was dead and that’s why he hadn’t learned the news yet.
Grace then switched to a local reporter while she allowed Bothuell to call for more information. While the reporters confirmed the reporter, Bothuell was seen raising his arms in the air in celebration.
Watch the video below and read the full report from the Associated Press underneath it.
DETROIT (AP) — A 12-year-old boy who had been missing for a week and a half and was the subject of an extensive police search was found alive and well Wednesday in the basement of his home.
Officers discovered the boy while serving a search warrant on the home as part of their investigation into his disappearance. It’s not clear if the boy had been there the entire time; officers had been inside the home before and cadaver dogs searched the house last week.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said when police found Charlie Bothuell V, he appeared to be hiding and did not announce himself. Hours earlier, Craig had told reporters that investigators were “not ruling out the possibility of homicide” in the case.
When police found the boy, he was behind some boxes and a large plastic drum. Bedding also was found nearby. The boy will be medically evaluated.
“He was nervous, but excited,” Craig said. “He indicated he was hungry. He appeared fine.”
The boy lives in the home with his father and stepmother. The father, Charlie Bothuell IV, said he was as surprised as anyone that his son was in the basement.
“I’m shocked. I looked. The Detroit police looked. The FBI looked,” he said. “To imply that I knew my son was in the basement is absurd.”
The elder Bothuell was swarmed by reporters outside the house when he arrived home Wednesday evening.
“I thought my son was dead,” he said as he broke down in tears and hugged a reporter.
Craig told reporters earlier Wednesday that the boy’s father had taken a polygraph test about his son’s disappearance, but the boy’s stepmother declined to do so.
