An Oklahoma teenager allegedly hid inside a toilet paper fort in a Walmart for days after running away from his grandparents. Nobody seemed to notice when 16-year-old Christopher Dunham fled for days until the grandparents reported him missing on Sunday.
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When the police finally spoke with Dunham, he revealed unbelievable news. The teenager had slept in a dog bed inside a Walmart store surrounded by a toilet paper fort, as per KSNF. He eventually attempted to sneak back into the home in Grove after the cops served a search warrant at the residence.
Teen Sleeps In Walmart Toilet Paper Fort For Days
Mark Morris, Grove Police Chief, had reason to believe that Dunham was keeping watch of the police presence at the home. He tried to sneak back inside once the last officer left the premises. Dunham's grandfather quickly took him to Grove Police Department to explain the entire situation. This led to the shocking reveal of where Dunham had been sleeping for the past few days.
Unfortunately, the teenager suffered some "minor" injuries, as Morris explained. "He may have a minor case of frostbite on his toes," the Chief said. "It is unknown if this was related to this runaway or a previous incident."
The cops later revealed that the boy's grandparents made the search difficult. The couple didn't want the authorities to release the child's photograph due to "extended family issues." Morris described them to KSNF as not being "very cooperative."
This uncooperative behavior continued when the grandparents denied a child welfare worker access to the home. It took a lot of convincing to get the couple to allow the cops entry into the home for a search. "This is one of the most bizarre cases in my law enforcement career," Morris admitted.
Clues To Why This Teen Ran Away
Another strange incident that occurred at the residence came to light when neighbors spoke to KFOR. The neighbors claimed they got into an argument with the grandparents last summer concerning the teen's welfare.
They said Dunham was mowing the lawn in excruciating heat, over 115 degrees. As soon as the neighbors showed concern for the boy's well-being, the grandparents got defensive and combative.
On top of that, KFOR reported that another neighbor came forward near the end of the police search with more information. They claimed that the grandparents had locked Dunham out of the house during a night when it was cold and pouring rain.
"He was outside crying and begging to be let back inside," said the anonymous neighbor. "We heard his crying and her yelling at him to shut up." After confronting the grandmother about the dire situation the following day, they said she "didn't know how to handle him."
