By . Will Payne In Detroit, Michigan . These are the first pictures of the tunnel where 12-year-old Charlie Bothuell apparently hid for 11 days while police and FBI agents desperately searched for him, fearing he had been murdered. Charlie was discovered hiding behind boxes and a large plastic drum in a tiny basement while his father Charles IV was being interviewed live on national television, appealing for his son’s safe return. Since his discovery, Charlie’s stepmom has been arrested on gun charges, her two younger children have been taken into care and Charles IV has not been able to see his son as police have taken him to live with his mother. Scroll down for video . Dark passage: Exiting the basement door from his father's apartment - No. 1344 on the right - Charlie Bothuell V walked to his right down the tunnel. The storage closet is to the right, and the exit door, which was oddly left open is further down the corridor . Hiding out: This is the first picture of the storage closet in the basement of the condominium townhouse where it is believed Charlie Bothuell V hid out during the eleven days he was missing . Found: Charlie Bothuell V was found hiding in his father's basement after he'd been missing for 11 days . There have been suggestions that . abuse charges may be brought by prosecutors and allegations that his . father and stepmom may have somehow been involved in his disappearance. His father has angrily denied the claims, calling them, ‘absurd’. But . neighbors in the upmarket condo building close to downtown Detroit have . said they believe Charlie simply ran away and used the tunnel to come . and go as he pleased. One . neighbor even said the home-schooled pre-teen had been spotted out playing . basketball in the neighborhood while law enforcement and family carried . out their desperate search. MailOnline was granted exclusive access to the long corridor that joins all the condos and leads to the outside world. The . outside door is usually locked and only accessible to maintenance men, . but crucially last week, it was apparently open so residents could get . rid of a build-up of trash in a dumpster left outside. That . means Charlie could have left the property in the day, before returning . at night. That would explain why FBI agents with search dogs could not . find the boy during their exhaustive searches. There . is also a communal storage space – seen in our pictures – where . neighbors believe he could have easily hidden. There is even an . accessible bathroom in the tunnel. Missing: The townhouse in Detroit where Charlie Bothuell V was found alive on June 25 . Escape: The door at the end of the tunnel - at the bottom of the stairs - was open all last week because people were putting their garbage in a dumpster. That means Charlie could have come and gone as he pleased. It is usually locked from the outside . Speaking . to the MailOnline, the neighbor, who did not want to be named, said: . ‘As far as I am concerned this kid ran away, then he was found and . that’s it. ‘He ran away two . years ago, that has been in the news, so it doesn’t take a genius to . work out that the most obvious explanation here is that he ran away . again. ‘I have heard he . was seen by some of the local kids playing basketball on at least one . occasion. The door at the end of the tunnel was open all last week . because people were putting their garbage in a dumpster. That means he . could have come and gone as he pleased. ‘In . my opinion he was going out in the day, messing around, eating and then . coming back to stay in the corridor or in his basement at night. There . is even a bathroom down there for him to use. Dad under fire: Charles Bothuell IV leaves the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice on Friday after a court hearing for his wife, Monique Dillard-Bothuell . ’He . could have lasted down there for as long as he wanted. I don’t know his . parents that well, but they seemed like nice people to me.’ Despite . the neighbor’s assertions, there is still a significant amount of . suspicion surrounding Charlie’s parents, with many suggesting he would . not have been able to stay hidden without an adult’s involvement. Stepmom . Monique Dillard-Bothuell was arrested on Thursday after apparently . violating parole relating to a previous arrest on a gun charge. Authorities . had obtained a warrant for Monique Bothuell's arrest on Monday, but . held out until Thursday to take her into custody later claiming the . search for Charlie took priority. A place to hide: Charlie probably called this storage closet home for over a week and he had access to bathroom facilities - and the outside . Relief: Charlie was able to use a toilet located in the tunnel . The . 37-year-old had pleaded guilty to purchasing a pistol without a permit . earlier this year and had been put on a two-year probation period. She was in court today on the gun charge and released on a 5,000 dollar personal bond and ordered to wear a monitoring device. Sources . have suggested that Charles IV, a registered nurse, is a strict disciplinarian, who made Charlie follow strict education and . workout schedules. NBC news . reported that Charlie was made to complete 4,000 strides on an . elliptical trainer without break, possibly on a daily basis. The . news station went on to say that on the day of his disappearance he . took a break from his routine and his stepmom reported him to his dad. Charlie was apparently afraid of his father’s reaction and decided to . run away. Police sources told WJBK that Charles IV allegedly beat his son with a PVC pipe. Blood was reportedly found in the boy's room. The . news channel said that the boy had claimed his stepmother was helping . him hide out and giving him food - but the family attorney has denied . the claim. Arrest: Monique Dillard-Bothuell is arraigned for a probation violation of weapons charges at Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit on Friday, two days after her stepson was found in her basement . Back with mom: Charlie is now staying with his birth mother . Following his . disappearance on June 14th, Charles IV and Charlie’s biological mother . Africa Shippings who lives around two miles away both made emotional . television pleas for their boy’s safe return. Apparently Charlie would . split his time between his father’s and his mother’s. Charles . IV was on live television on HLN with Nancy Grace on Wednesday when he . learned that his son had been found in the home's basement. 'We're getting reports that your son has been found in your basement,' Grace said. As . the shocked father struggled to comprehend the news - grabbing his . chest and looking stunned - Grace demanded to know whether or not he had . checked his basement. 'I . checked my basement,' Bothuell said. 'The FBI checked my basement. The . police checked my basement. My wife checked my basement. I've been down . there several times. We've all been checking.' He . said that authorities had even brought in dogs to check the basement of . their Detroit townhouse but the boy had not been found. Stunned: Charlie Bothuell IV was shocked into silence on Wednesday when HLN's Nancy Grace told him his 12-year-old son had been found alive in his basement, 11 days after he vanished . Detroit . Police Chief James Craig said when police found the boy, he appeared to . be hiding behind a makeshift barrier of boxes and did not announce . himself. Craig said that he . believes it is unlikely that the boy could have constructed the barrier . himself. He was also behind a large plastic drum and bedding was found . nearby. 'There's no way he . could have erected this make-shift area of concealment, I'll call it,' Craig told WJBK. 'He certainly was excited to see us. I had a chance to . actually talk and embrace Charlie. 'He indicated he was hungry. He appeared fine.' 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. Mr Bothuell's test came back inconclusive, WDIV reported. He also told authorities that Charlie had ran away from home two years ago, but police found him after three hours . Overwhelmed: Bothuell clutched his chest and breathed heavily after learning that his son had been found . The father was on live television on HLN with Nancy Grace when he learned that his son had been found in the home's basement. 'We're getting reports that your son has been found in your basement,' Grace said. As the shocked father struggled to . comprehend the news - grabbing his chest and looking stunned - Grace . demanded to know whether or not he had checked his basement. 'I . checked my basement,' Bothuell said. 'The FBI checked my basement. The . police checked my basement. My wife checked my basement. I've been down . there several times. We've all been checking.' He said that authorities had even . brought in dogs to check the basement of their Detroit townhouse but the . boy had not been found. Charlie Bothuell, who was last seen when he took a break from working out and went to the bathroom, was discovered as authorities searched the home. Detroit Police Chief James Craig said . when police found the boy, he appeared to be hiding behind a makeshift barrier of boxes and did . not announce himself. Relieved: The boy's father was so emotional when his son was discovered that he hugged a reporter . 'There's no way he could have erected . this make-shift area of concealment, I'll call it,' Craig told WJBK. 'He . certainly was excited to see us. I had a chance to actually talk and . embrace Charlie. 'He indicated he was hungry. He appeared fine.' In . the basement, a tunnel leads from apartment to apartment and to the . outside, meaning he could have come and gone when he needed to, WJBK . reported. 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. Mr Bothuell's test came back inconclusive, WDIV reported. He also told authorities that Charlie had ran away from home two years ago, but police found him after three hours.
Twelve-year-old Charlie Bothuell IV 'vanished' from his dad's home but was found in the building's basement .
A neighbor told MailOnline the home-schooled pre-teen had been spotted out playing .
basketball in the neighborhood while law enforcement and family carried .
out their desperate search .
Charlie could have left the property in the day, before returning .
at night, which would explain why FBI agents with search dogs could not .
find him .
His .
father, Charles Bothuell IV, learned that his son had been found while .
he was taking part in a live interview with HLN's Nancy Grace .
The .
boy was finally found in the basement and had access in and out of .
the basement through an unlocked door, police sources have said .
Police said the boy was released from the hospital to his birth mother but has not spoken to his father and stepmother .
By . Will Payne In Detroit, Michigan . These are the first pictures of the tunnel where 12-year-old Charlie Bothuell apparently hid for 11 days while police and FBI agents desperately searched for him, fearing he had been murdered. Charlie was discovered hiding behind boxes and a large plastic drum in a tiny basement while his father Charles IV was being interviewed live on national television, appealing for his son’s safe return. Since his discovery, Charlie’s stepmom has been arrested on gun charges, her two younger children have been taken into care and Charles IV has not been able to see his son as police have taken him to live with his mother. Scroll down for video . Dark passage: Exiting the basement door from his father's apartment - No. 1344 on the right - Charlie Bothuell V walked to his right down the tunnel. The storage closet is to the right, and the exit door, which was oddly left open is further down the corridor . Hiding out: This is the first picture of the storage closet in the basement of the condominium townhouse where it is believed Charlie Bothuell V hid out during the eleven days he was missing . Found: Charlie Bothuell V was found hiding in his father's basement after he'd been missing for 11 days . There have been suggestions that . abuse charges may be brought by prosecutors and allegations that his . father and stepmom may have somehow been involved in his disappearance. His father has angrily denied the claims, calling them, ‘absurd’. But . neighbors in the upmarket condo building close to downtown Detroit have . said they believe Charlie simply ran away and used the tunnel to come . and go as he pleased. One . neighbor even said the home-schooled pre-teen had been spotted out playing . basketball in the neighborhood while law enforcement and family carried . out their desperate search. MailOnline was granted exclusive access to the long corridor that joins all the condos and leads to the outside world. The . outside door is usually locked and only accessible to maintenance men, . but crucially last week, it was apparently open so residents could get . rid of a build-up of trash in a dumpster left outside. That . means Charlie could have left the property in the day, before returning . at night. That would explain why FBI agents with search dogs could not . find the boy during their exhaustive searches. There . is also a communal storage space – seen in our pictures – where . neighbors believe he could have easily hidden. There is even an . accessible bathroom in the tunnel. Missing: The townhouse in Detroit where Charlie Bothuell V was found alive on June 25 . Escape: The door at the end of the tunnel - at the bottom of the stairs - was open all last week because people were putting their garbage in a dumpster. That means Charlie could have come and gone as he pleased. It is usually locked from the outside . Speaking . to the MailOnline, the neighbor, who did not want to be named, said: . ‘As far as I am concerned this kid ran away, then he was found and . that’s it. ‘He ran away two . years ago, that has been in the news, so it doesn’t take a genius to . work out that the most obvious explanation here is that he ran away . again. ‘I have heard he . was seen by some of the local kids playing basketball on at least one . occasion. The door at the end of the tunnel was open all last week . because people were putting their garbage in a dumpster. That means he . could have come and gone as he pleased. ‘In . my opinion he was going out in the day, messing around, eating and then . coming back to stay in the corridor or in his basement at night. There . is even a bathroom down there for him to use. Dad under fire: Charles Bothuell IV leaves the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice on Friday after a court hearing for his wife, Monique Dillard-Bothuell . ’He . could have lasted down there for as long as he wanted. I don’t know his . parents that well, but they seemed like nice people to me.’ Despite . the neighbor’s assertions, there is still a significant amount of . suspicion surrounding Charlie’s parents, with many suggesting he would . not have been able to stay hidden without an adult’s involvement. Stepmom . Monique Dillard-Bothuell was arrested on Thursday after apparently . violating parole relating to a previous arrest on a gun charge. Authorities . had obtained a warrant for Monique Bothuell's arrest on Monday, but . held out until Thursday to take her into custody later claiming the . search for Charlie took priority. A place to hide: Charlie probably called this storage closet home for over a week and he had access to bathroom facilities - and the outside . Relief: Charlie was able to use a toilet located in the tunnel . The . 37-year-old had pleaded guilty to purchasing a pistol without a permit . earlier this year and had been put on a two-year probation period. She was in court today on the gun charge and released on a 5,000 dollar personal bond and ordered to wear a monitoring device. Sources . have suggested that Charles IV, a registered nurse, is a strict disciplinarian, who made Charlie follow strict education and . workout schedules. NBC news . reported that Charlie was made to complete 4,000 strides on an . elliptical trainer without break, possibly on a daily basis. The . news station went on to say that on the day of his disappearance he . took a break from his routine and his stepmom reported him to his dad. Charlie was apparently afraid of his father’s reaction and decided to . run away. Police sources told WJBK that Charles IV allegedly beat his son with a PVC pipe. Blood was reportedly found in the boy's room. The . news channel said that the boy had claimed his stepmother was helping . him hide out and giving him food - but the family attorney has denied . the claim. Arrest: Monique Dillard-Bothuell is arraigned for a probation violation of weapons charges at Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit on Friday, two days after her stepson was found in her basement . Back with mom: Charlie is now staying with his birth mother . Following his . disappearance on June 14th, Charles IV and Charlie’s biological mother . Africa Shippings who lives around two miles away both made emotional . television pleas for their boy’s safe return. Apparently Charlie would . split his time between his father’s and his mother’s. Charles . IV was on live television on HLN with Nancy Grace on Wednesday when he . learned that his son had been found in the home's basement. 'We're getting reports that your son has been found in your basement,' Grace said. As . the shocked father struggled to comprehend the news - grabbing his . chest and looking stunned - Grace demanded to know whether or not he had . checked his basement. 'I . checked my basement,' Bothuell said. 'The FBI checked my basement. The . police checked my basement. My wife checked my basement. I've been down . there several times. We've all been checking.' He . said that authorities had even brought in dogs to check the basement of . their Detroit townhouse but the boy had not been found. Stunned: Charlie Bothuell IV was shocked into silence on Wednesday when HLN's Nancy Grace told him his 12-year-old son had been found alive in his basement, 11 days after he vanished . Detroit . Police Chief James Craig said when police found the boy, he appeared to . be hiding behind a makeshift barrier of boxes and did not announce . himself. Craig said that he . believes it is unlikely that the boy could have constructed the barrier . himself. He was also behind a large plastic drum and bedding was found . nearby. 'There's no way he . could have erected this make-shift area of concealment, I'll call it,' Craig told WJBK. 'He certainly was excited to see us. I had a chance to . actually talk and embrace Charlie. 'He indicated he was hungry. He appeared fine.' 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. Mr Bothuell's test came back inconclusive, WDIV reported. He also told authorities that Charlie had ran away from home two years ago, but police found him after three hours . Overwhelmed: Bothuell clutched his chest and breathed heavily after learning that his son had been found . The father was on live television on HLN with Nancy Grace when he learned that his son had been found in the home's basement. 'We're getting reports that your son has been found in your basement,' Grace said. As the shocked father struggled to . comprehend the news - grabbing his chest and looking stunned - Grace . demanded to know whether or not he had checked his basement. 'I . checked my basement,' Bothuell said. 'The FBI checked my basement. The . police checked my basement. My wife checked my basement. I've been down . there several times. We've all been checking.' He said that authorities had even . brought in dogs to check the basement of their Detroit townhouse but the . boy had not been found. Charlie Bothuell, who was last seen when he took a break from working out and went to the bathroom, was discovered as authorities searched the home. Detroit Police Chief James Craig said . when police found the boy, he appeared to be hiding behind a makeshift barrier of boxes and did . not announce himself. Relieved: The boy's father was so emotional when his son was discovered that he hugged a reporter . 'There's no way he could have erected . this make-shift area of concealment, I'll call it,' Craig told WJBK. 'He . certainly was excited to see us. I had a chance to actually talk and . embrace Charlie. 'He indicated he was hungry. He appeared fine.' In . the basement, a tunnel leads from apartment to apartment and to the . outside, meaning he could have come and gone when he needed to, WJBK . reported. 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. Mr Bothuell's test came back inconclusive, WDIV reported. He also told authorities that Charlie had ran away from home two years ago, but police found him after three hours.
father Charles IV was being interviewed live on closet in the basement of the condominium One . neighbor even said the home-schooled pre-teen had been spotted out playing . basketball in the neighborhood while law enforcement and family carried . out their desperate search. MailOnline was granted have left the property in the day, before returning . at night. That would explain why FBI agents with search dogs could not . find the boy home for over a week and he had access to Police sources told WJBK that Charles IV now staying with his birth mother . Following his found. Stunned: Charlie Bothuell IV was shocked into silence on Wednesday when HLN's Nancy Grace Grace when he learned that his son had been found