4 Year-Old Goes Missing, Police Finds Perturbing Clue Inside Grandma’s Dresser

If there is one thing that many of us fear, it’s our loved ones going missing without a trace. Amazingly, Ricky was missing for two years before the police finally got a tip about his grandma’s dresser.

Shannon Wilfong and Michael Chekevdia always had a tumultuous relationship

Even though things weren’t always going well between Shannon Wilfong and Michael Chekevdia, the couple still welcomed a child in 2002. It’s said that the couple would often argue and would fall out more times than they got back together. That didn’t stop them from celebrating when they learned they were pregnant with their son, Ricky.

Sadly, things weren’t set to last as Shannon and Michael eventually decided that enough was enough and it was time to go their separate ways – permanently. The arguments continued, and things weren’t great for raising a child. It was best that they learned how to live away from one another, something that was the basis for their shared custody agreement they eventually settled on.

Michael had to say goodbye to his son when he joined the Armed Guard

So the couple would raise Ricky together, and everything would be simple, right? It would have been if there wasn’t another spanner in the works. In 1982, Michael decided to sign up to the Illinois Army Guard found in West Frankfort. It was close to Michael’s home, but it did mean that the family was about to get ripped apart.

Ricky was always close with his dad. That was until Michael learned that he was about to be deployed to Iraq. That didn’t mean that Michael was about to forget all about his son back in the US. It turns out the dad was so enamored with his son that he commissioned a portrait of himself with Ricky while he was overseas.

Shannon reportedly made it difficult for Ricky to see his father

In 2004, Michael was all set to return to the States and continue his duty as a doting father. Sadly, it looked as though Shannon had something to say on the matter. It’s reported that Shannon made it difficult for Michael to spend time with Ricky, even though it went against the agreements outlined in their joint custody agreement.

A few years later, in 2007, things took another turn. The parents were set to appear at court to discuss Michael’s visitation rights, but Shannon was a no-show. This left the judge in an awkward position as they had to make a ruling without one of the parents present. In the end, they ruled that Michael should have temporary custody of his son. That was until Ricky and Shannon disappeared.

A warrant was issued for Shannon’s arrest and Ricky’s return

People searched high and low, but it looked as though Ricky and Shannon had disappeared off the face of the planet. It might be no surprise that Michael was beside himself as he wondered what happened to his son. All the worst possibilities started to run through his mind, especially as no one seemed to know where they could have gone.

In November 2007, the mother and son were listed as missing people before a warrant for Shannon’s arrest was issued the following month. That’s when things took another turn. The world still learned that Shannon and her mom, Diane Dobbs, had stories of their own to tell. The pair both accused Michael of abusing Ricky in the past and thought he was a danger.

Diane started a smear campaign to try and clear Shannon’s name

People started to question if Shannon had simply run away with Ricky to try and protect her son from the alleged abuse he faced from his father. That’s what Diane thought about the entire thing – and it was something she wanted to tell the world. In fact, it wasn’t long before Diane started a smear campaign against Ricky’s father to try and clear her daughter’s name.

She started handwriting notes about the alleged behavior and put placards all around the neighborhood just three miles from Michael’s own home. Things took an even worse turn when Diane upped her plans. She supposedly began handing out flyers to anyone and everyone where she listed everything she believed Michael had done. Diane even decided to hand them out at Michael’s church.

Michael was convinced that Diane knew something about Ricky’s disappearance

It didn’t take long for Michael to put two and two together and develop his own theories. He wasn’t alone. Michael believed that the reason that Diane thought she knew so much about him was that she knew more than she was letting on about what happened to Shannon and Ricky. After all, Michael claimed that he was telling the truth, and he never did anything that would have harmed his son.

Michael’s determination was enough for the police to obtain a warrant to search Diane’s house. However, they didn’t find anything that linked her to the disappearance. Little did anyone know that this was just the start of a two-year mystery as no one could figure out what happened to Ricky.

The police received a tip-off that led them back to a familiar face

Things remained quiet for two long years as Michael continued to search high and low for his son. Unfortunately, he was never any closer to finding out the truth or at least some clues that would unravel the mystery around his son. That was until 2009. Policed received a tip-off that would lead them back to a familiar face in the investigation: Diane.

They arrived at the home, where they once again searched through the property to see if they could find any clues about Ricky and Shannon’s disappearance. Once here, the officers started to take a keen interest in a particular dresser that might just be the answer they had been looking for all this time. They just needed to take a closer look.

Officers noticed something strange about a particular item of furniture

The officers knew there had to be more than the dresser than met the eye as the tip-off led them right to the piece of furniture, but they weren’t too sure about what they should be looking for. As they looked at the dresser, they noticed that it was pushed against the wall. Perhaps they needed to get a new angle on the piece?

They decided to move it away from the wall, and that’s when they noticed there was something hidden behind it. It was a hole in the wall. Only then did it dawn on the police officers that Diane had been hiding something sinister this entire time. It turned out that Michael was right, and Diane did know more than she let on.

The hole in the wall was hiding two major secrets

Officers looked inside, and it wasn’t long before they noticed someone staring back at them. The room behind the dresser was just five feet wide and 12 feet long. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it was a mere four feet tall, meaning no one other than a young child would have been able to stand up in the room.

As the police shone their torches into the hole, they realized it wasn’t just anyone looking back at them; it was Shannon – and she wasn’t alone. She was joined by Ricky. People instantly had several questions about the entire situation. Had Ricky been in there for two years? How had they survived in the hole in the wall? After all, the pair couldn’t even stand up.

Ricky was immediately taken into custody and out of harm’s way

Ricky was now six years old, and everyone on the scene was worried about what his life had been like for the last two years. It appeared that he’d been kept in hiding all this time, and no one knew what took place while he was gone. The officers knew the first thing to do was to get Ricky out of the hole and to safety.

They decided it was best to take him into custody. Illinois State Police Department officer Master Sergeant Stan Diggs later reported that Ricky “ran around like he’d never seen outdoors.” The cop was almost reduced to tears as he recalled, “It was actually very sad.” Stan even added Ricky “said he never goes outside.”

Shannon and Diane were key witnesses when trying to find out what happened

Getting Ricky to safety was just the tip of the iceberg as investigators quickly realized there were so many layers to this story. The question was, where did they begin? Of course, they needed to talk to the two women who seemed to be behind it all, so they took Diane and Shannon into custody. They knew there weren’t many ways they could explain their way out of this situation.

Shannon was initially arrested for felony child abduction. In contrast, Diana was up for charges of aiding and abetting. However, Diane didn’t immediately have to face time behind bars as she was released on bail. During this time, Diane decided to try and share her side of the story by talking to ‘Good Morning America.’

Diane wanted to tell the world her side of the story

Diane wanted to tell the world that she never thought that things would go this far, and building a secret room was never something on her list of things to do. In fact, she claimed that the room was already a part of the house when she bought it many years before. This was just the start of the story as Diane tried to explain her way out of the situation.

According to Diane, she only thought about hiding Ricky when she realized the police were closing in on her daughter and grandson. In the end, Shannon and Diane allegedly thought that hiding the duo behind the dresser and hole in the wall was the best way to keep the pair together and away from the police.

Diane was adamant that Ricky had a normal childhood while he was missing

Of course, many people wanted to know about how Ricky had been treated during this time. It seemed that Diane wasn’t afraid to tell all secrets about her side of the story, even though she was facing some serious charges when she returned to court. Diane was still adamant that her grandson had barely been in the hole during the two years that he had been listed as missing.

In fact, she claimed that Ricky had spent “maybe five minutes” in the secret room during the entire two years he was gone. Diane continued to add that Ricky supposedly enjoyed a normal childhood as he was allowed to be free and play like any other child, even though Michael had no idea where he was.

She continued to tell Good Morning America all about Ricky’s supposed life

She wasn’t done there. Diane said that Ricky enjoyed all kinds of things when he was at her house as he would often head outside. This went against the police officer’s version of events as Stan Diggs claimed Ricky admitted he was never allowed to leave the house. Diane? She told ‘Good Morning America’ that her grandson “had the run of the house.”

Diane continued to list all the things the family had supposedly done, including fireworks for the 4th of July, weenie roasts, and fishing. As if that wasn’t enough already, Diane told the talk show that Ricky “helped me plant my flower garden in the back.” Diane even said that Ricky has “his own garden in the back.”

Neighbors claimed that Diane was lying about her time with Ricky

If there was one thing that many people wanted to know, it was whether Diane was telling the truth or a lie. After all, she had spent two years lying to the world about how much she knew about Shannon and Ricky’s disappearance. Was it really out of this world to think that Diane could be lying about something else in her story?

That’s what many seemed to believe, especially after reporters interviewed several of Diane’s neighbors. They claim that they never saw Ricky outside and that Diane must have been making up stories about what they did during the two years. The officers on the scene backed this up, and no one believed that Ricky had been outside for years.

The Good Morning America interview was enough to turn the case on its head

It turned out that appearing on ‘Good Morning America’ might have been a bad decision. Why? Diane was arrested just a few hours after her interview as officers believed they had all they needed to charge the mother-daughter duo with kidnapping Ricky and lying to the police. Of course, many people wanted to know about what happened to Ricky in all of this.

Thankfully, he was living with one of Michael’s relatives as investigators continued to work on the case. Stan Diggs told reporters that the youngster was surprisingly “in good spirits.” This was even more of a shock as Ricky had lived in near isolation for two years. Stan couldn’t believe Ricky was “a very social, very polite, very talkative little boy.”

Shannon was eventually charged for her part in the crime

Judgment day finally rolled around on September 19, 2011. Shannon was taken to court to face her charges, and it didn’t take long for the courts to find her guilty of all the charges. She was ultimately given two years probation and fined $1,500 for her part in Ricky’s abduction. Several people thought the sentence was too light, but the deed was done.

Ricky? Michael was eventually given full custody of his son after so many years apart. Apparently, this was enough for the father to leave the military to focus all of his time on being a single father. It looked as though Michael wanted nothing more than to settle into a life of peace that he’d dreamed about for so long.

Michael and Ricky are finally free to live their lives together

It looked as though Michael and Ricky could finally put their terrifying ordeal behind them. For two years, Michael wondered if he would ever see his son again or what could have happened to him. After all, there were no clues about what may have taken place while he was with Shannon. Perhaps if Diane weren’t so adamant about spreading her side of the story, she never would have given the game away?

We may never know. Whatever the case, it seems the pair were finally able to pick up their father-son relationship where it left off. Sadly, Ricky wasn’t the only youngster who was missing, let alone someone who was missing in such weird circumstances. Gregory Jean Jr. was another on the list.

Gregory Jean Jr. looked like just another teen in the neighborhood

The story all started in Atlanta, Georgia, where a peaceful suburban neighborhood was enjoying yet another day of serenity. It looked as though there was nothing more to see when neighbors spotted a teen working hard around the home. Little did anyone know that the teen was none other than Gregory Jean Jr.

That wasn’t the aspect people should have known, but the fact that Gregory had been missing for four years and had loved ones wondering where he could be. It looked as though Gregory would have to find his own way out of the situation if he ever wanted to make it to safety. All he needed to do was find a way to tell people the truth he’d been hiding.

The family tried to make things work for everyone involved

Things seemed to be pretty normal for Gregory Jr. in 2010 as the teen lived with his mom, Lisa Smith, and his younger brother, Samuel. The family lived in Orlando, Florida, where Lisa was separated from the boys’ father, Gregory Sr. However, that didn’t stop Sr. from stepping up and doing his part as their father.

He would often send money to care for his boys, and the informal agreement meant the family could meet every now and then. Gregory Jr. would also call his dad every day when he got home from school. His parents might not have been married, and things weren’t always easy for the family, but Gregory Jr. admitted he loved his dad no matter what.

Gregory Sr. always wanted to be a part of his sons’ lives

Nobody knew that by the end of the year, everything would change for the family. Gregory Sr. decided that he wanted to make a new life for himself, so he moved across the nation to Atlanta, Georgia, where he even met a new woman by the name of Samantha Joy. The couple walked down the aisle, and it looked as though things were going well for everyone.

However, there was just one problem: Gregory Sr. needed to find a new way to be a part of his sons’ lives. It wasn’t long before Sr. suggested that Gregory Jr. and Samuel take a trip to Georgia for a reunion. All they needed to do was hop on a plane to see their dad. Nothing could go wrong, right?

The trip all went to plan until it was time to go home

It looked as though everyone agreed to the trip as it wasn’t long before Samuel and Gregory Jr. packed their bags and headed off to the airport. After all, on paper, they had nothing to worry about. They were only going to see their dad and his new family for a few days before they would fly home and continue life with Lisa.

The brothers made the 400-mile trip, but something went terribly wrong. The days passed, and it was time for them to head home. Although Samuel got on the plane and made his way back to his mom, it looked as though Gregory Jr. was nowhere to be seen. No one had any idea about what could have happened to the teen.

Lisa had no idea where her son could be across the nation

It might be no surprise that Lisa was incredibly worried about her son when Gregory Jr. didn’t return home, especially because Samuel seemed to have no idea where his brother had gone. Lisa decided to call the Orlando court services, but people were confused to learn that she never called the police or filed an official missing person report.

This mistake meant that Gregory Jr. was missing for four years before anyone uncovered what really happened to the teen. The strange part? Lisa actually spoke to Gregory Jr. one or two times throughout the years. However, the mom never learned where her son was living or if he was even safe. It was a situation that confused many as it continued to unfold.

Gregory Jr. finally found a way to contact his family

Things finally took a turn in the case in November 2014 when Gregory Jr. made contact for the first time in many years. It turned out that Lisa had no idea her son was going to message, but she couldn’t believe it when she realized who she was talking to. Gregory Jr. quickly explained that he had got his hands on a cellphone.

Apparently, this was all he needed to make contact with his family without anyone stopping him from telling the truth. He didn’t have long. Gregory Jr. quickly handed over his address and told his family he needed to be rescued, news they had been waiting to hear as Lisa and the others had never stopped looking for her son.

The police were quick to track down the address

Lisa knew that it was time to call the police and get help from the professionals to ensure her son was home safe and sound after so many years away. It didn’t take long for officers in Georgia to find the home and search the property to see if they could locate Gregory Jr. and bring him home to safety – and where he should have been all along.

However, there was a problem: there was no sign of the youngster anywhere in the home. That was until the police started to search through the garage and noticed something unusual. They began to wonder if Gregory Sr. was trying to keep his son hidden from the world and ordered Gregry Jr. to hide behind a false wall.

The officers couldn’t initially find Gregory Jr. in the house

Believe it or not, but the officers weren’t able to find Gregory Jr. and went on their way. It looked as though it could have been a hoax call or someone was confused about where the teen was really hiding. That wasn’t good enough for Lisa, who was determined to find her son after so many years of being kept apart.

In the end, Gregory Jr. was forced to try and contact his family again. It was his only chance of making it to freedom. Thankfully, this time he gave Lisa precise instructions about where to look for him in the house. She contacted the authorities again and gave them detailed instructions about where to look for her son in Atlanta.

The instructions helped officers find Gregory Jr. after so long

They searched high and low until the police officers finally found the person they had been looking for all this time. It turned out that Gregory Jr. was kept in the house; they just needed to look in the right place to track him down. The police immediately called Lisa, who was eagerly waiting by the phone in the hopes of learning her son was safe and sound.

Lisa jumped in the car and drove all the way to Atlanta with her daughter, Tracy, to be reunited with her son after four years apart. It looked as though everyone was on the edge of their seats to see Gregory Jr. reunited with his family at long last, especially as he was now 13 years old.

Gregory Jr. started to open up about what happened all those years ago

Being such an unusual case meant that it wasn’t long before the media heard all about Gregory Jr.’s story. They were all on the scene to capture the moment the teen was finally reunited with his mom. Sadly, this was also when the world started to learn about what happened to the teen all those years ago.

Everyone wanted to know how he’d ended up separated from his family. Gregory Jr. explained that it all started out so normal. That was until Gregory Sr. explained that things worked better financially for him if his son remained in the house. To top it off, Gregory Sr. allegedly told his son that Lisa and the rest of his family no wanted him in their lives.

Things were fine for the first year, but they quickly took a turn

The first year in his new home seemed to be a simple one as Gregory Jr. was enrolled in middle school in Atlanta and was free to go about his life. Sure, he had to make new friends, but as far as the teen was concerned, it was set to be his new normal as Gregory Jr. believed his family wanted nothing more to do with him.

Although things were fine at first, they took a turn 12 months later as Gregory Jr. explained that he was suddenly forced to sleep on a makeshift bed in the garage. He added that he only had a thin sheet for warmth. Gregory Jr. had no idea what was happening, especially as his stepsiblings weren’t treated in the same way.

The world had no idea that things had been so bad for Gregory Jr.

Unfortunately, sleeping in the garage was just the beginning. Gregory Jr. continued to explain that his normal life became anything but as his dad and stepmom allegedly began to hurt the youngster. It seemed they wanted to humiliate him in any way they could, including taking away his rights to the bathroom.

Instead, Gregory Jr. says that he was forced to use a bucket and told the Mail Online that “they would all watch me.” For the teen, “It was embarrassing.” Things continued to get worse as he told the news that he “felt like a maid” as he was forced to “clean the house and yard.” Gregory Jr. often lived in fear as he explained he was hurt “if there was even a leaf out of place.”

Gregory Jr. had no idea if he would ever make it out of his father’s home

For Gregory Jr., he had no idea if his turmoil would ever come to an end. After all, he believed that his family had abandoned him and he was just a child, meaning he felt there was no way he could escape. The thought of making it out of the house was the only thing that kept Gregory Jr. going as his dad and stepmom continued to make things worse.

Gregory Jr. confessed that he was always punished, even though he felt he did nothing wrong, and wasn’t allowed to watch TV or read books with the other children. Instead, Gregory Jr. was forced to read the dictionary and copy out lists of words. As a result, he would usually cry himself to sleep.

The teen had already tried to get help from the authorities

Some questioned why Gregory Jr. didn’t try to reach out to someone at school. After all, he was allowed to leave the house each day. Surely there was someone who could have helped? It turned out that Gregory Jr. did try and tell the school counselor that something was going on behind closed doors, but things were covered up before anyone learned the truth.

It’s reported that officers performed a check on the home after Gregory Jr. accused his stepmom of the behavior. However, she managed to cover up her behavior and anything that could be incriminating before they got to the house. The worst part? Samantha had already been convicted for child cruelty, something that seemed to get lost in it all.

The events saw Gregory Jr. withdraw from society even more than before

It might be no surprise that the events were enough for Gregory Jr. to withdraw from the world even more. He had tried to reach out to people who were supposed to help, but no one learned the truth. Gregory Jr. worried that if he tried to reach out again, he could be in for a world of trouble.

Rather than make a break for it or try to get help again, Gregory Jr. decided to shut himself off from the rest of the world. Things got even worse for the teen when Samantha supposedly started to stop him from enjoying Christmas with the family. Although he still had gifts from others, Gregory Jr. was reportedly forced to give all of his presents to the other children.

Neighbors never noticed anything unusual about Gregory Jr. or the situation

Perhaps the neighbors noticed something about the situation and could have stepped in sooner? Amazingly, it doesn’t seem to be the case, as one of the neighbors later told CBS Evening News about it all in 2014. Here, they claimed they often saw Gregory Jr. working in the yard and assumed he was just doing his chores.

They even noted that the teen “kept that yard immaculate.” Little did they know that if Gregory Jr. didn’t, he could be in for a lot of pain and upset. Although they spotted the youngster out and about, the neighbors claimed they never thought it looked as though Greogry Jr. was reaching out or saying, “please help me.” It seemed Samantha knew how to cover her tracks.

Going home to his family was the ultimate Christmas present for Gregory Jr.

If it wasn’t for Gregory Jr.’s thinking and planning, there is a good chance that he may have never been found. All he needed to do was wait for the perfect time to contact his family in the hopes they would follow his instructions and save him from his life of misery. Thankfully, everyone worked together to bring Gregory Jr. back to safety.

Of course, Lisa and the family were all delighted to have their son back in their lives after so many years apart. Gregory Jr. told the Mail Online that he didn’t care about what anyone got for Christmas the year he was rescued. He was just happy to be home. “This is my Christmas present, to be back with my family.”