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Missing Boy Found Alive Behind Wall in Grandma’s House
When Shannon Wilfong lost custody of her four-year-old son to her ex-boyfriend Michael Chekevdia in a bitter custody dispute, she took the boy and ran. But she didn’t go far.
Two years after the pair disappeared, they turned up at her mother’s home — just three miles from where Chekevdia now lives — in a secret room hidden by a wall.
Wilfong and her now nearly 7-year-old son Ricky had apparently been living there all along. Chekevdia said that the window shades were often drawn to cover the windows, and that he always suspected the boy and his mother were inside. But though Wilfong’s mother willingly allowed police to search her home, they could never find the boy.
That’s probably because he was hidden away, in a 5 foot by 12 foot room with a ceiling so short, there wasn’t room to stand up. There were other hiding places in the home as well. The hideout helped them keep their secret for a full two years. That is, until last Friday, when authorities — who were acting on a tip — suddenly showed up with a search warrant and found Wilfong and her son in their hidden room.
Checkevdia was accused of abusing Ricky, a claim he denies and one that’s currently being investigated by authorities. Though Checkevdia has regained legal custody, Ricky is still in the care of state authorities.
Ricky, for his part, is talkative and healthy, though police officers say he was thrilled to be outside on Friday. We let him out of the (patrol) car and he ran around like he’d never seen outdoors. It was actually very sad,” Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Stan Diggs told the Associate Press. “He was very happy to be outside. He said he never goes outside.”
Photo: blogs.kansascity.com
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[...] years after he went missing, the Ricky Chekevdia was found in a hidden room behind a wall in his grandmother’s home. But though that mystery has come to a close, the [...]
Boy Hidden Behind Wall Was Abused, Says Grandmother | Strollerderby commented on Sep 08 09 at 3:01 pmAli commented on Sep 08 09 at 10:17 amThey only hid in that tiny room when people came over. Otherwise they were roaming the house. His mother must have been scared to death for his safety to go to such great lengths. I hoep they investigate her allegations seriously this time. She ran because he was an ex-cop and no one would believe her or the boy.
Hawk commented on Sep 08 09 at 10:39 pmWe don’t know if the man abused the boy, but according to the story, he was investigated and the charges found to be baseless. Just because someone goes to great lengths to hide their child, does not automatically mean that the accusations are true. I don’t know if they are, and just because someone is an ex-cop does not mean that authorities will look the other way for them. But, with all this added attention, I am sure that people will be looking even closer into all accusations and the truth of the accusations, or lack thereof, will come out. I feel sorry for the boy, who appears, at this point, to be a pawn in all of this.
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