Teen missing for 4 years found hidden behind fake wall

JONESBORO, Ga. — The father of a teenage boy and four other people have been arrested after the child was found in a home in Clayton County, south of Atlanta, police said Saturday.

The boy, 13, had been reported missing four years ago, and was reunited with his mother after police found him around 2 a.m. Saturday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The father and a woman at the home face charges of false imprisonment, cruelty to children and obstruction, WSB-TV reported. Police said three juveniles were also arrested.

Police say people at the home denied any knowledge about the child when officers showed up late Friday night. But police returned early Saturday and found the boy because he was able to call his mother while officers were at the house, Clayton County police Sgt. Kevin Hughes said.

“While at the location during the second call, the victim was able to establish phone contact with his mother and she in turn passed on additional information to the officers on the scene,” Hughes said. “The victim was found behind a false wall within the residence.”

It wasn’t clear Saturday how the boy was reported missing, or to which agency.

Authorities said the boy was visiting his father in 2010, and that the father refused to return the boy to his mother, WSB reported.

There were many unanswered questions Saturday about who has custody of the boy, Clayton County police Deputy Chief Mike Register told WSB.

Police could not immediately be reached Saturday by The Associated Press.

The boy will likely stay in the custody of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services to ensure the child’s safety, the Atlanta TV station reported.