A father and stepmother, charged with false imprisonment and cruelty to children when a missing 13-year-old boy was found behind a false wall in their suburban Atlanta home, will remain in jail after a judge refused to set bond during their first court hearing Sunday. The boy — who had been reported missing four years ago — was found in the early hours of Saturday morning behind a wall camouflaged with towels and later reunited with his mother. Officers arrested the boy's father and stepmother, 37-year-old Gregory Jean and 42-year-old Samantha Joy Davis, along with three other juvenile suspects, Clayton County police Capt. Angelo Daniel told NBC News. Jean and Davis were officially informed of their charges Sunday, but neither was assigned bond, said Clayton County Jail Administrator Major R. Sowell.
Neighbors told WXIA they often saw the boy doing yard work and that they were surprised to learn he was allegedly held against his will. "It was a shock to all of us. They were really nice people, very open they said come over anytime you want," said Julie Pizarro, who lives across the street. "The young man didn't seem under any distress. I guess you never know what's behind closed doors."
Akono Ekundayo, who lives across the street from the house where the boy was found, told WXIA he and his wife saw the boy nearly everyday. "Gosh, it was right under our nose," he said. "We could have done something."