A search warrant was executed on Friday and resolved a nearly 2 year old abduction case. His mother Shannon Wilfong disappeared along with Richard in late 2007 after custody disagreements with the boy's father. Wilfong was charged with kidnapping in December 2007, but authorities couldn't find her. Authorities found them secluded inside the house, in a void in the wall approximately 4 feet by 12 feet. Shannon Wilfong, Chekevdia's mother, Diane Dobbs, his grandmother face felony charges.
September 5, 2009
11:31 a.m. ET
ST. LOUIS (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 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.
The boy's mother, 30-year-old Shannon Wilfong, is charged with felony child abduction. The grandmother, 51-year-old Diane Dobbs, is charged with aiding and abetting. Wilfong remained jailed Saturday on $42,500 bond in Benton, Ill., where Dobbs was being held on $1,000 bond.
The boy was staying Saturday with one of his father's relatives while state child-welfare workers investigated claims the father abused the child before his disappearance -- allegations rejected by the dad, who's thrilled the agonizing search has ended.
Missing Boy Found Alive, Hidden at Grandma's Home
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