to conceal him, and then went upstairs, called his father and said that the boy was missing, that she'd looked "everywhere" for him. Police said it was a 55-gallon drum, clarifying the petition's description as a "5-gallon" drum.

When the stepmother came down to the basement, the petition says, she would approach the area where the boy was and say, "Shut up, stay quiet and don't say anything no matter what you hear!"

"Charlie V reported Mrs. Dillard-Bothuell never brought him food, or anything to drink the entire time he was in the basement," the petition states. When the house fell silent, he would run upstairs to grab food.

The boy told interviewers that he heard authorities come to the house while he was in the basement.

The Wayne County prosecutor's officeRatio of Palestinians who believe rockets fired by Gaza militants are useful in achieving Palestinian national goals has dropped by half, a Palestinian poll showed on Sunday, noting a general drop in Palestinian support for military attacks on Israel of any kind.

The study conducted by the Ramallah-based Jerusalem Media & Communication Center (JMCC) surveyed support for what it called "military operations" against Israel, and compares it the amount of support measured in a similar study conducted in January of 2009.

Open gallery view Qassam rocket fired by Hamas militants. Credit: Getty Images

The timing of the earlier sample is significant as it came in the wake of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, otherwise known as Operation Cast Lead, after which Israel was severely criticized for its alleged use of