100 Pushups, 200 Situps, 100 Jumping Jacks and Thousands of Elliptical Revolutions: Case of 'Missing' Boy Found in Parents' Basement Takes Odd Turn

The 12-year Detroit boy missing for nearly two weeks before being found in his basement has leveled a long list of abuse and neglect accusations against his stepmother as well as his father, Charlie Bothuell IV, who made headlines in late June by his shocked reaction on live TV after being told his son was found alive.

A Wayne County juvenile court referee ruled Thursday that the boy, Charlie Bothuell V, will undergo a psychological evaluation to determine if it's in his best interest to have visitation with his father, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The petition filed with juvenile court, obtained by the Free Press, offers some chilling and nasty details regarding the boy's abuse accusations:

• Twice a day, every day, the 12-year-old had to complete a workout: 100 pushups, 200 situps, 100 jumping jacks, 25 curls on each arm with a 25-pound weight and thousands of revolutions on an elliptical machine.
• If he didn’t finish the workout within an hour, he said he “would have to do it again."
• He has been disciplined with a PVC pipe, sometimes making him too sore to sit or walk, and had been abused by his father “for the entire two years he has resided” with him.
• His stepmother Monique Dillard-Bothuel put him in the basement on June 14 after accusing him of lying to her about completing his evening workout. Charlie told authorities he heard his stepmother go upstairs, call his father and tell him Charlie was missing and that “she looked everywhere.”
• When his stepmother came into the basement, she would tell him to “shut up, stay quiet, and don’t say anything, no matter what you hear!”
• He has been punched by his stepmother, who made statements such as, “I can make you disappear.”

The Department of Human Services requests in the petition that the court terminate the parental rights of Charlie Bothuell IV and place his son with his mother, whom he is already living with.

Attorney Mark Magidson is representing Dillard-Bothuell and said his client did not punch Charlie or order him into the basement.

“She never harmed that child whatsoever,” Magidson told the Free Press. “And I think the facts, ultimately, will establish that.”

Regarding the workout allegations, Magidson said Bothuell exercised once a day and wasn't punished for not exercising.

Charlie Bothuell V, 12, of Detroit went missing on June 14 but was found alive in his basement 11 days later. (AP/Courtesy Detroit Police Department)

Magidson also represented Bothuell previously and said his former client has retained another lawyer. The Free Press couldn't reach that attorney for comment Wednesday.

[sharequote align="center"] “I can make you disappear.”[/sharequote]

More from the Free Press:

Bothuell has denied allegations that he abused his son. Neither Bothuell or Dillard-Bothuell have been charged in Charlie’s case.

Detroit police spokesman Sgt. Michael Woody on Wednesday said police have not yet turned over a warrant request to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and don’t anticipate filing one this week. He said police are waiting for evidence to be processed by the crime lab.

Police found Bothuell in the basement on June 25. The petition notes that he was “shivering and hungry” at the time.

Also from the petition:

• A doctor from Children’s Hospital of Michigan examined Charlie on June 25 and saw a half circular scar on his chest, which the boy said was from his father hitting him with a PVC pipe.
• Charlie told authorities he was “physically disciplined so severely by Mr. Bothuell with the PVC pipe, the skin on his buttocks split open in several areas.” Old scars on his buttocks were found.
• Child Protective Services spoke to Bothuell, who admitted he disciplined his son with a PVC pipe. During a search of the home, a PVC pipe with blood on it was found, although it's unclear whose blood was on the pipe.
• During his first night in the basement, Charlie was cold so he got a blanket from the laundry room. He added to authorities that Dillard-Bothuell didn't bring him food or beverages, so, when the house was quiet, he would go upstairs for food and drinks, including Frosted Flakes and protein shakes.
• Charlie also said while being interviewed: “I was so excited when I heard they were going to move the box I was behind, because I knew they were going to find me.”

Dillard-Bothuell is due in a different court on Friday for a hearing on a probation violation stemming from a 2013 weapons charge, as police recovered a gun from the Bothuell house while executing a search warrant, the Free Press reported, citing as court records.