Boy Found in Secret Room at Grandma's

(CBS/AP)  A boy allegedly abducted in a custody dispute nearly two years ago has turned up alive, hiding with his mother in a small, specially built secret room behind a false wall at his grandmother's Illinois home, investigators said.

Richard "Ricky" Chekevdia, who turns 7 on Sept. 14, was in good spirits and physically fit after being found Friday by investigators with a court order to search the two-story rural home in southern Illinois' Franklin County, about 120 miles southeast of St. Louis.

"Bassically," Ill. State Police Master Sgt. Stan Diggs told CBS News, "It was a hidden compartment. You move a panel" and the room is revealed.

Ricky's mother, 30-year-old Shannon Wilfong, is charged with felony child abduction. His grandmother, 51-year-old Diane Dobbs, is charged with aiding and abetting. Wilfong was jailed on $42,500 bond in Benton, Ill., where Dobbs was being held on $1,000 bond.

Ricky is now staying with one of his father's relatives, reports CBS News Correspondent Bianca Solorzano, because authorities "want to move slowly" in reuniting father and son.

"I can't express how happy I am, Chekevdia, a 48-year-old former police officer who's a lieutenant colonel in the Illinois National Guard, told "Early Show" substitute co-anchor Debbye Turner Bell Monday. "It's inside -- I'm a less than emotional person when it comes to anything, but this has got me pretty much balled up and the emotion will come out when i see my son for the first time again."

After hearing his son had been found, Chekevdia remarked to The Associated Press, "You could have knocked me over with a feather."

Chekevdia won temporary custody of his son shortly before the boy and his mother - Chekevdia's former girlfriend - disappeared in November 2007. Chekevdia says he long suspected his son was being stowed by Dobbs, although there were no signs of the boy at her home when it was searched with her consent after his disappearance. Wilfong was charged in December 2007 with abducting the boy but couldn't be found.

Chekevdia told CBS News the ordeal began when, "I gave him back to his mother, and never saw him again."

For much of the time since, Chekevdia said, the windows of Dobbs' home were blocked off by drawn shades or other items, presumably to prevent anyone from peeking inside. Police say the boy was only allowed outaide at night. "I had a firm belief he was in there, and ... it was confirmed," Chekevdia said.

Investigators, during a news conference Friday, didn't detail what led sheriff's deputies and federal marshals with a search warrant to Dobbs' house Friday, when they found the boy and his mother in a hideaway roughly 5 feet by 12 feet and about the height of a washing machine.

"We let him out of the (patrol) car and he ran around like he'd never seen outdoors. It was actually very sad," Sgt. Diggs said. "He was very happy to be outside. He said he never goes outside."

"Surprisingly," Diggs added, "Ricky is in very good spirits. For someone who's been isolated in that house with no other outside beings, he's a very social, very polite, very talkative little boy."

Dobbs, the grandmother, told the Southern Illinoisan newspaper of Carbondale, Ill., last year that her daughter had been forced into hiding to keep the child from his father. Dobbs called the custody dispute a "nightmare for all of us."

Chekevdia, eager to get his son back in school and to a dentist, said waiting for Ricky to resurface required patience.

"It's hard to sit back and watch things happen when you're used to making things happen," said Chekevdia, a military officer who served in Iraq earlier this decade. "But I just bided my time and let the system work."

To see Solorzano's report, and Bell's interview of Mike Chekevdia and Ernie Allen, head of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (addressing the difficulties of reunions like the one awaiting Mike and Ricky), see below:


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[SheenaTheQueena]

Isn't it obvious that the father probably abuses his son? The whole article just continually points to abuse without directly saying it.

[RhodaZimmerman]

<"Bassically," Ill. State Police Master Sgt. Stan Diggs told CBS News, "It was a hidden compartment. You move a panel" and the room is revealed.>>

"bassically"

Enough already with the poor spelling and grammar in the media. Doesn't CBS have spell check?

[KBAC]

Fortunately Ricky is still young enough to adjust. Many kidnapped kids are not given a chance for the truth and will never know.

[bstr8ntrue]

ibsteve2u is right on the mark!i went to jail for the first time in my life because i owed child support,even thought after the second trial we had the judge awarded my 10x what i owed for child support!he gave her 30 days to pay me so i sat in jail till they took the child support from the settlment!

[bstr8ntrue]

it doesnt matter who ever files first wins,more so if they have money/come from a wealthy family,or lie good,the judges in family court make up there own rules as they go,i had to represent myself due to the fraud my ex committed,i had visitation w/out supervision,untill i got a setaside,then it got real nastie,i dont know what to do,i love my son more than life.although he is well taken care of and all his needs are meet,her family is rich,they are all alchohlics,and will lie for money or revenge,and they dont care if our son has a dad,they won't even let his other grandparents or aunts or my 5 brothers or their familys visit him!i am so deprest i wish i was dead

[ibsteve2u]

My conclusion from reading the comments? Blessed - and fortunate - are those who manage to end a relationship involving children without incurring harm to themselves, their former partner, or their children.

[mrssmithtobeny]

I can't believe anybody male or female would even suggest she HAS a side. What parent would keep their child caged thinking it was for the best. I went through a divorce, and my ex had mentally abused me so badly and convinced me that because he was ex army and had a more stable job ie: more $$$ that my daughters would be better off. I listened breifly until I went through counseling to realize that, kids need love, and guidance, everything else is secondary. My children experienced horrid things at his hands for which he threw away his life, and served 8 years in prison for. I should have fought harder and listened to my gut instincts. that being said, I have seen so many children that SHOULD be taken from their mothers and are'nt because judges ALMOST always side with the Mother. There has to be a VERY ligitemite reason she lost in court. And before anyone says anything I will answer the ? NO i never lost in court, in fact the judge told me later he was proud that at the time I was looking out for what I thought was their best interests, and he was a father and had 3 daughters of his own. That was 12 years ago, and my ex can't even so much as speak to my girls, I just wish during that brief period they had had the strength to tell me what was going on.

[hamiltoningrate]

The poor boy has been mentally and physically abused by his mother and grandmother . What does that say about our society ?

[zultar1]

Im so sick of the vaginal double standard in this country. Years and years ago women fought for equality and it was given to them. Ill comment on your abusive failed marrige when it hits the news, but until then Im gonna focus on the issue at hand. That woman is a sicko who broke the law and kidnapped a child and held him in atrocious conditions. She needs to pay for her rimes like any man would. Cry your crocodile tears ladies. Ill go get you a tissue.

[bstr8ntrue]

my life has been ruiined by this system,im a dad.my ex needed some time alone.she took of for 5 days,left our son with me.when she came back,she took our son to her parents house,i was served by my father in law when i came home from work.he handed me a kickout/restaing order,my ex bribed a friend of ours w/a pu truck to wright a letter to her att.stateing i was on drugs.i couldnt see our son or wife,nor go home.what did she do while gone?she closed all the bank accounts,took my name off the credit cards,disconected our biz phone,we ran our biz from home,now i had no money no income and no place to no live,no att.though she used our money for one.i did testing for 4 mo. for drugs,all neg.she trustdeeded all the equity on our home to her folks,we went to trail her father[retired admiral,retired vice pres.of dean witter renynolds]testdifide that we owed him as much as we had in equity,about 400,000 thousand.who did the judge belive?admiral or swimming pool repair man[me]didnt matter i told her att.she could have the house in the begining,all i wanted was 1/2 cust.of our son.after the trail for about 8 mo.i had every other weekend,then i found some paperwork that exposed them,got a set aside,w/out an att.no small feat that.i was only able to get less than 80k at retrial,but then she filed for full cust.she won,because her att/she didnt notitice me about the hearing,by now i am homeless,and if i want to see my son i have to pay 40 per hour for supervised visits[to her sister]anouther longer story,im ready to finish my jurney here on this planet only its harder to leave than you can belive.

[areuforreal]

keep on plugging. ever heard of karma? When the child is older things may work out. Don't give up on your kids ever.