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What?

Man finds out live on-air that his son, missing for 11 days, was found alive...in his own basement

The 12-year-old boy was found behind a makeshift barricade of boxes.

HLN / YouTube

CHARLES BOTHUELL’s 12-year-old son was missing for 11 days when he went onto a US news television network to make another appeal for information on his disappearance.

Just as he went live on-air, HLN’S Nancy Grace heard that his son was found alive in the man’s own basement.

Grace informed the man of the development to gasps of disbelief and confusion from Bothuell, who asked the presenter to confirm the news.

He was then asked by Grace whether he had in fact checked his basement for his missing child:

I checked my basement, the FBI checked my basement, Detroit Police checked my basement, my wife checked my basement, I’ve been down there several times. We’ve all been checking.

The boy, also named Charles Bothuell, was found behind a makeshift barricade of boxes in the basement after being missing since 14 June.

Police have said that when the young boy was found on Wednesday he didn’t appear to have been there for long because investigators found cereal and a fizzy drink in the area.

He has been turned over to his mother’s custody and met with child psychologists before talking to police yesterday according to CNN

His step-mother has also since been arrested for a probation violation on an unrelated weapons charge, police have confirmed.

The child’s father is not allowed to have any contact with his son while the investigation continues. Investigators say this is standard operating procedure in such cases.

Read: Woman who had just been raped told to “quit crying” by 911 operator >

Read: I wish Monica Lewinsky well, I hope she builds a life she finds meaning in – Hillary Clinton >

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