{"id":80015,"date":"2021-06-29T05:37:49","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T09:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/?p=80015"},"modified":"2021-06-29T05:39:28","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T09:39:28","slug":"held-captive-for-4-years-boy-finally-rescued-after-being-found-behind-a-wall-t2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/held-captive-for-4-years-boy-finally-rescued-after-being-found-behind-a-wall-t2\/","title":{"rendered":"Held Captive For 4 Years, Boy Finally Rescued After Being Found Behind A Wall"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

Gregory Jean Jr. was just a sweet boy whom neighbors believed was just obedient and a good son. Little did they know that the 13-year old was actually being held against his will, forced to do work like a slave in a home that belonged to his biological father and evil stepmother. Despite his mom wondering where he had been for the past four years, it was only when he decided to take his life into his own hands that he orchestrated his own escape and managed to do the unthinkable to finally make his escape.<\/h6>\n
Take a look at the story of one very brave young boy who managed to get himself out of an impossible situation even though the odds were completely stacked against him.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

How It All Started<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Gannett<\/p><\/div>\n

Gregory Jr.\u2019s life wasn\u2019t always bad. In fact, the boy shared that he had a very loving mother that made sure to take care of him and his brother, Samuel. His mom, Lisa Smith, happened to be an immigrant from Haiti. And although she and Gregory\u2019s father, Gregory Jean Sr. didn\u2019t end up together, the two kept a relationship because of their children. Lisa lived around 400 miles to the south in Florida, and the kids only got to see their father every so often because of the distance. Regardless, he would send his children monetary support.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

He Loved His Dad<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Gawker<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite the boys not living with his father, Gregory Jr. made sure to keep his relationship with his dad close, speaking to him every single day after school. In fact, Gregory Jr. would share that he really loved his dad. His mom Lisa made sure that he kept a good relationship with their father too, wanting her two boys to group up knowing him well. Even if they were no longer a normal family unit, they were still family nonetheless. He even said, \u201cI love my dad. After he and mom split up I would ring him every day after school.\u201d<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Something Changed<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2010, when Gregory Jr. was around nine years old, there was going to be a big change in his father\u2019s life. Gregory Sr. was getting married, now living in Atlanta with his new family. In order for his two boys to meet his new wife, he asked if his sons could come and visit and stay with them for the summer. Lisa was excited about it, thinking that it was very sweet for the dad and his new wife, Samantha Joy Davis, to invite the boys to stay with them for a couple of months as they got to know each other.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Enjoying The Summer<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Atlanta<\/p><\/div>\n

The boys took a 400-mile trip to join their dad and brand new stepmom to their home in Atlanta. Since it was summer, Lisa was happy knowing that her boys were going to enjoy their time with their dad before having to go back to Florida to get ready for another school year. The boys left and made it to their father, and days turned into weeks, until it was time for them to go back home. But then something incredibly strange would happen, something that would turn Lisa\u2019s life completely upside down.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Where Was Gregory?<\/h2>\n
\"\"

PCDN<\/p><\/div>\n

When the boys were scheduled to go home, Lisa would get the shock of her life. Rather than both of her boys returning to her, it was only Samuel that made it home. She asked herself, what had happened? Where was Gregory Jr. ? She asked everyone what happened but it seemed that no one could give her a real answer. One of the first things that she did was contact the Orlando court services to ask them about what she should do in her situation, but for some reason, she never contacted the police. She also never explained why she didn\u2019t go to more extreme measures to look for her son, with many believing that it was because being an immigrant made her feel afraid, while not knowing what her rights were in a country that was foreign to her.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Never Truly Knowing<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

Throughout the next four years of Lisa\u2019s life, all the information surrounding her son and his disappearance would be kept in the dark. While some stories explain that Gregory Jr. got to call her at some point, he never told her where he was or the reason why he hadn\u2019t gone home. His disappearance had left so many questions unanswered, as well as why they hadn\u2019t involved the police or why Lisa hadn\u2019t harassed the father to helping her search for her missing son. And she couldn\u2019t know the true horrors that her son was actually facing.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

An Evil Stepmother<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Gannett<\/p><\/div>\n

For the next four years, Gregory Jr. was going to be subject to some very horrible treatment from people that were supposed to love him. But instead, he faced treatment that was even worse than others faced in jail. Apparently, Gregory\u2019s stepmother was not the sweet lady that he thought she would be, in fact, she was evil. Not only was the boy held against his will, he was forced to act like a maid and personal servant for his dad, stepmom, and stepsiblings, doing household chores and other activities for his family.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2028\u2028He Was Basically Cinderella<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

Much like the fictional Disney princess Cinderella, Gregory Jr. was treated with no respect at all. He explained later on, \u201cI felt like a maid. I had to clean the house and yard, and if there was even a leaf out of place my stepmom would beat me with a stick.\u201d And even worse, Gregory wasn\u2019t treated like a member of the family. In fact, there were days when he was kept hidden behind a wall in the home and made to sleep in a camp bed with just a thin blanket, even if the colder nights called for much warmer surroundings. He said, \u201cI had to sleep on a cot in front of the door of the garage. She only gave me a thin blanket to cover me and I got cold. The other kids slept in a bed.\u201d<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

He Wasn\u2019t Allowed to Celebrate Christmas<\/h2>\n
\"\"

The Daily Meal<\/p><\/div>\n

Sadly for Gregory Jr., as the days went by, his abuse would get worse. Not only was he not allowed to celebrate Christmas for two years with his stepbrothers as punishment for talking in school, he was even starved, beaten, and made to use a bucket as a toilet instead of being allowed to use the bathroom in their house. And what made things worse is that his dad didn\u2019t try to do anything to stop his new wife from treating his eldest son like a servant.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

He Was Humiliated<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

Even worse, he was humiliated in front of their family and friends, and all Gregory Jr. could think about was getting back to his mom, but he didn\u2019t know how. The young boy explained how he was just so sad and suffering emotionally. He shared some of the trauma he suffered, explaining \u201cOne time she stripped me naked and put a diaper on me. And my stepbrother had his friends and they all laughed at me.\u201d But that wasn\u2019t all.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Treated Super Unfairly<\/h2>\n
\"\"

PCDN<\/p><\/div>\n

Worse yet, during other special occasions, Gregory Jr. was given a basketball hoop and a PlayStation, and yet he was never allowed to use either one. Meanwhile, the other kids that were in their home could play with the toys any time they wanted. To say that Gregory Jr. was treated unfairly is a major understatement. He wasn\u2019t allowed to watch TV while his siblings din, but instead, he was forced to write out words from the dictionary, something they called punishment work for whatever reason his stepmom deemed fit. He explained, \u201cShe made write out words from the dictionary in a school book every morning. And if I did not finish the words before 8:45 I would not get any food for breakfast. And if I had not finished by 12:00 I would not get anything to eat for lunch.\u201d<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Planning His Escape<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Amazon<\/p><\/div>\n

Things were becoming so unbearable for Gregory Jr. that then and there, he vowed to himself that he would find his way out. Each night, Gregory Jr. prayed for a way to escape. He prayed for help but sadly, that help never came, but it didn\u2019t stop him from promising himself that he would get out regardless of how much time it would take. He told himself that if he had to wait until he was 18 to make an escape, he would. He\u2019d find a way to get back to his mom, even though his dad would tell him that his mom didn\u2019t want him anymore.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

No One Believed Him<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Blogspot<\/p><\/div>\n

To make matters worse, the more he asked for help from people that were supposed to be on his side, like his school counselor, things actually took a turn for the worst. At that time, Gregory Jr. was allowed to attend school, so he approached his counselor and told her what was happening at home. He shares, \u201cI told my counselor at school what was happening at home and at first they believed me. They went to my house on a home visit by my step-mom hid everything so they did not believe me. After that I was put on punishment for a long time and she took me out of school.\u201d<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Things Took a Turn For the Worst<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

Things would end up getting even worse for Gregory Jr.. Since he had told on his stepmom, not only did she feign innocence, the school started to believe that Gregory Jr. was just making up stories. Then his stepmom decided to pull him out of school, keeping him at home where she got even more violent. She began beating him more, even threatening him that she would send him to jail for whatever reason she saw fit. And since the abuse got worse, it scared Gregory Jr. even more, making him go completely silent about what was happening to him. He shared, \u201cShe said you got to do what you got to do. She told me she had been in jail before but she never told me what for. She said she got crazy and not to mess with her when she was feeling bad.\u201d<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Needing To Get Out<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Buzzfeed<\/p><\/div>\n

After he was pulled out of work, things got even worse. His stepmom made him the full-time help, forcing him to do all the chores, clean the yard and basically be treated horribly, all the while none of the neighbors knew what was going on. They just thought that he was a nice, helpful boy that kept to himself, was obedient to his parents and was homeschooled. As the days went on, Gregory Jr. was getting desperate to find his way back to his mom, but he just couldn\u2019t figure out how he could do it.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

He Refused To Give Up<\/h2>\n
\"\"

CBN<\/p><\/div>\n

Although he was terrified to ask for help, he knew he couldn\u2019t take the punishment in his dad\u2019s house much longer. Later on, he would tell the media how he cried almost every night because of being away from his mom, but he vowed to get through the ordeal so he could finally go home. He said, \u201cI prayed and I cried and I tried to wait. I said no matter how long it takes I will get home. Even if it\u2019s when I\u2019m 18 I\u2019m going drive down and get home. I knew that my mom would find me.\u201d<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Finally Calling His Mom<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Youtube<\/p><\/div>\n

Finally, Gregory Jr. came up with a plan that he thought would finally get him home. On November 28, he managed to get a cellphone where he downloaded an app that would allow him to use WiFi to call his mom. He shared, \u201cI just went on [Google] Play Store and I downloaded an app called Magic Jack and I called my mom.\u201d When Lisa answered the call, she almost couldn\u2019t believe it. it was her precious boy, she finally knew where he was so she decided to break into action immediately. He told his mom the address and a picture of the home in Clayton County that he had been kept in so that she could come and get him.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Searching For Gregory<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Bored Daddy<\/p><\/div>\n

As soon as she got the address, Lisa called the cops right away. She explained the situation to them, asking them to drive over to the home of her ex-husband and search for her son. But when the authorities arrived at the Atlanta, Georgia home, they didn\u2019t see any sign of the boy at all. Apparently, when the cops came knocking, his stepmom forced him to hide in the wall so they wouldn\u2019t see him while she would go on to lie to the police. When they asked her about the boy, she told them that they hadn\u2019t seen the boy in years and that he was probably in New York.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

He Thought It Was Over<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

When the police left, Gregory Jr. knew that he was going to get into trouble with his stepmom, and he was right. He told the authorities later on, \u201cWhen the police went away the first time my stepmom got read mad. She told my stepbrother \u2018get him.\u2019 He punched me in the face and pushed me down the stairs.\u201d But he refused to give up on finding a way to escape. Knowing he still had the phone, he decided to get in touch with his mom once more.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Making Plans<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

After messaging his family again and giving them more details of where to find him, his sister text him, saying that the police are \u201con the way look out for the cops if you see them run out to them.\u201d She also advised, \u201cIf you have to bang on the garage door so the cops can hear you do it.\u201d Finally, the cops went back the next day, finding Gregory Jr. trapped behind a fake wall in the linen cupboard in the attic of the garage. He was hidden in a very small, cramped nook that was in between the wooden beams and insulation of the house, a space that was not fit for anyone, especially a young boy, to be in.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

So Grateful To Be Found<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

Finally, after four years of living in abuse from people that were supposed to love him, Gregory Jr. was going to be freed from his oppressors. He was so happy, sharing \u201cI was so grateful to the police officers when they found me. I kept saying, \u2018thank you, thank you\u2019.\u201d In the meantime, his mom Lisa and his 19-year old sister Tracy drove through the night from Orlando, Florida to Jonesboro, Georgia to be reunited with the boy. They hadn\u2019t seen him for four years, and Lisa couldn\u2019t wait to have him back in her arms once again.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Reunited After Four Years<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Georgia News Daily<\/p><\/div>\n

When Lisa and his sister were reunited with Gregory Jr., he was overcome with emotion. He shared, \u201cMy eyes filled with tears and I did not see anybody but my mom and my sister. I was overjoyed to see them. This is all I wanted, to be back with my mom.\u201d He also said, \u201cWhatever anyone else gets for Christmas I don\u2019t care, this is my Christmas present, to be back with my family.\u201d Meanwhile, his sister Tracy also said, \u201cIt was so good to get Junior back. We missed him so much. My mom worry about him and cry herself to sleep thinking about him. We did not give up on him. She tried to get him back. She went to the courthouse, she thought this was what she was supposed to do.\u201d<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Taking Them Into Custody<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Konnie Moments<\/p><\/div>\n

The police took Gregory Sr. and his wife, Samantha Joy Davis, into custody. The charge against them was child cruelty and false imprisonment, which are considered felony offences. And to the courts surprise, they would soon find out that this wasn\u2019t the first time that Davis had been reprimanded in court. Apparently, back in 2004, she was already on probation for burning her 6-year old biological son\u2019s neck with a pair of hot scissors as well as cutting a portion of his tongue. The couple was put on probation while Davis was made to take anger management classes for her horrific deeds.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

What Really Happened?<\/h2>\n
\"\"

PCDN<\/p><\/div>\n

When asked about the details about what had truly gone on in the beginning of his imprisonment, Gregory Jr. said, \u201cHe [his dad] invited me and my brother Sammy to Atlanta. Sammy was allowed to go home but she [stepmother Samantha Joy Davis] would not let me go home.\u201d Apparently, Gregory Sr. and Samantha had never gotten married, but they did have an informal deal where they had to pay for \u201cchild maintenance.\u201d The couple thought that if they just kept Gregory Jr. with them, they could save on these necessary payments.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Feeding Gregory Lies<\/h2>\n
\"\"

PCDN<\/p><\/div>\n

Many people wondered why Gregory didn\u2019t insist that his dad return him to his mom Lisa, rather than having to suffer at the evil hands of his stepmom. But Gregory Sr. told his young boy that his real mother didn\u2019t want him anymore, and that financially, it was just better for him to stay in Atlanta with his \u201cnew\u201d family. Because of this, Gregory Jr. thought he had no choice but to accept the abuse he suffered at the hands of his stepmom, especially since his own father wasn\u2019t doing anything to stop her.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

His Story Went Viral<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Twitter<\/p><\/div>\n

Not too long after he was found, Gregory Jr.\u2019s story went viral. A number of reporters came to ask him about what he lived through during those four years, which is also when his own mother found out about the hell he was put through since he went missing. Sadly, the school also realized that they had done the boy wrong as well, not believing his story of being abused by his father and stepmother.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Why Didn\u2019t His Mom Try Harder?<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

After Gregory Jr.\u2019s story went viral, a number of people were wondering why, in those four years after he had disappeared, why didn\u2019t his mom try harder to find him? Why didn\u2019t she file for a missing person\u2019s case, or bug the dad more when he hadn\u2019t safely returned their son to her? Lisa didn\u2019t divulge much information regardless of the continuous questions, and eventually, the media had no choice but to respect the mom\u2019s right to privacy.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Admitting They Spoke<\/h2>\n
\"\"

PCDN<\/p><\/div>\n

Since the incident occurred, Lisa admitted that during her son\u2019s four years away from her, they did speak a handful of times. For whatever reason she didn\u2019t insist on her son coming home before that is still unknown, but regardless, she has shared that her reunion with her son has been wonderful and in the end, she \u201cfeels good\u201d that they have finally been reunited. Meanwhile, Gregory Jr. has also said that he just wants to put what happened to him in the past.<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

No Ill Feelings<\/h2>\n
\"\"

ABC News<\/p><\/div>\n

Incredibly, Gregory Jr. explains that he doesn\u2019t want to see his dad or stepmom jailed for what they did to him. According to the young boy, \u201cI don\u2019t want my stepmom or my dad to go to jail. If her [Davis\u2019s family] think I put them in jail that\u2019s wrong. I just want to be free to live my life and let them live theirs,\u201d for as long as he doesn\u2019t have to live through any more abuse. He also told reporters that when he gets older, he wants to pursue a law degree so that he can help others that have suffered just like him, and his advice to other children whose own cries for help continue to go unheard, he says, \u201cStay strong, hold on.\u201d<\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

A Story of Compassion and Forgiveness<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Daily Mail<\/p><\/div>\n

In the end, Gregory Jr. has shown more compassion to his dad and stepmom than many others would if they were subjected to conditions like him. The Clayton County police chief told media about where he was held, \u201cIt was an area where no person should be living or held\u2026 Non one should have been in that area where we found the victim.\u201d And yet, for one young boy who lived through unimaginable horrors at the hands of people that were supposed to nurture and care for him, he\u2019s taught the world more about compassion and forgiveness than many that have suffered just like him. And now all the people around him are rooting for him, hoping that his future dreams come true!<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gregory Jean Jr. was just a sweet boy whom neighbors believed was just obedient and a good son. Little did they know that the 13-year old was actually being held against his will, forced to do work like a slave in a home that belonged to his biological father and evil stepmother. Despite his mom wondering where he had been for the past four years, it was only when he decided to take his life into his own hands that he orchestrated his own escape and managed to do the unthinkable to finally make his escape. Take a look at <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":80016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[35062,1795,35063,35058,483,35059,35060,509,35061,7508,35064],"yst_prominent_words":[9382,10504,33477,9230,16457,10839,9625],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80015"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80015"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awesomejelly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=80015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}