The Florence County Sheriff's Office says the biological mother of a 10- year-old boy hid him for 22 days.
Deputies say she even hid the child in the attic in 100 degree temperatures as they searched her home.
38-year-old Josephine Burgess and her 22-year-old daughter Galanda Burgess faced a judge on charges they intentionally hid 10- year-old Jermaine Davis.
Wednesday, he showed up at the Florence County DSS building, alone.
"We have put in a lot of manhours, spent a lot of time looking for this young man," Lt. Brett Camp, Florence County Sheriff's Dept., said.
Jermaine is Burgess' biological son. Her parental rights were terminated back in November.
On June 7, Jermaine ran away from his foster mother's home in Pamplico.
Burgess told the judge that same day her son showed up on his bike at her home in Lake City. "When Jermaine came to my home, he rode all the way from 378 Highway. That's a busy highway, all kind of tractor trailers, came to my house and was dehydrated," Josephine Burgess said
But police say when they asked Burgess where Jermaine was, she and her daughter lied to them and all along were moving him from house to house. "At one point, he said he was in the attic in 100 degree weather," Gail Creel, Florence County DSS, said.
When the judge asked Josephine if she had anything to say, she said she loves her son. "I am guilty. I feel I'm guilty in a way, and I feel I'm not guilty in a way because of the love I have for my son."
The judge set bond for his mother at $50,000, his sister's at $16,000. For now, they remain in jail and Jermaine remains in the custody of DSS.
Josephine Burgess' mother, Diane, is also charged.
All three faces charges of kidnapping, unlawful conduct toward a child and giving false information to law enforcement.
