Cops: Mom Was Hiding 'Missing' Teen in Basement

A New Jersey woman is facing obstruction charges after her missing teen turned out to be not-so-missing. Instead, authorities in East Brunswick say Jennifer Buckley, 48, lied to investigators and was actually hiding her 17-year-old son in the house, reports NBC News. The drama began when the teen's father called police on Tuesday, saying the boy never arrived for a scheduled drop-off. When officers checked with Buckley, she told them her son wasn't at her home, either.

A police search ensued, with the boy's name entered into the National Crime Information Center, according to a police statement. On Thursday, officers returned to Buckley's home after uncovering discrepancies in what she had told them, per People. "Detectives subsequently searched the residence and located the juvenile hiding inside a crawl space in the basement," the statement reads. Police say the teen was at Buckley's home the whole time, with her knowledge.