Where Is Grant Reichert? A Father's Plea, A System's Silence

"Where is my son?"

That question—raw, desperate, unrelenting—haunts Jeff Reichert every day. As another Father’s Day approaches, it will mark his fourth in a row without seeing or even speaking to his son, Grant. But this isn’t the story of a disinterested parent or a legal deadbeat. This is the story of a father who’s been fighting for years through a system that seems engineered to break him, silence him, and erase his role from his child’s life.

This is the story of a child who has disappeared—again—under the guise of court orders, parental manipulation, and judicial indifference. And the public should be asking one simple question:

Where is Grant Reichert?

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A Child Missing in Plain Sight

School is out. Summer has started. And for Jeff Reichert, that means one more obstacle to contact: no school means no routine, no check-in points, and no place where his son is expected to show up. His son’s phone is off. His texts go unanswered. His calls are met with silence. His court motions—denied.

Earlier this week, an emergency motion filed by Jeff to gain access to Grant was dismissed for procedural reasons. No facts or merits were even allowed to be presented. The court didn’t care that no one has heard from Grant for months and offered no meaningful path forward. No supervised call. No scheduled visit. Not even a requirement that Grant’s location be disclosed.

This is not a minor dispute. This is a child who , has expressed suicidal ideation, trauma from his living environment, and a clear desire to return to Virginia to live with the parent who raised him for years. And now—again—he’s gone.

A Pattern of Lockdown, Isolation, and Fear

The evidence suggests that this is not the first time Grant has been hidden.

• Past 3 summers have reportedly been spent in remote cabins in Maine or Upstate New York, with no electricity, no phone service, and no contact with the outside world.

• Multiple reports indicate that Grant has called 911, attempted to run away, and even begged not to go back to his mother, citing emotional abuse, surveillance, and threats.

• He has been told repeatedly that if he tries to call or reach out, "dad will go to jail."

• Court documents and communications describe instances of Grant being forcibly taken, isolated, and cut off from his father and his paternal family and close friends.

And now, despite years of trying to bring these abuses to light, the court remains silent.

The Emancipation Paradox

In a strange legal twist, Jeff has also filed to initiate emancipation proceedings—not because he wants to relinquish his role, but because he sees it as the only possible legal path to allow his son to choose to be free of a harmful environment and potentially return to the father he trusts.

The court issued a summons, but still won’t allow Jeff to speak to Grant. Still won’t allow him to check on his safety. Still won’t stop what Jeff believes is an ongoing scheme by Sarah Hornbeck and her partner John Michel to either adopt Grant or change his name, potentially removing Jeff from Grant’s life permanently.

Jeff fears that Sarah and John Michel may have recently gotten married solely to facilitate an adoption—a move that would erase him completely from legal recognition.

This is not parenting. This is erasure—backed by the court’s refusal to intervene.

From Jeff Reichert: "Last week, I spoke directly with my son’s doctor, who was shocked to learn that I’ve been absent from his life for years. She told me that no one ever informed her—not even the child’s mother—that I had been removed, or that my son wants to see me but can’t. This kind of deliberate concealment from medical providers is not just deceptive—it’s dangerous. When a child’s emotional and familial reality is hidden from those responsible for their care, it undermines both their health and their safety. It is abuse by omission. And it has to stop."

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An Inadequate Wellness Check

Recently, Jeff requested a wellness check from the Baltimore County Police to ensure his son's safety. The response he received? A simple “10-4” confirming that Grant is “still in Maryland.” That response is completely inadequate for a wellness check involving a 15-year-old boy who:

• Has a documented history of emotional distress and trauma

• Is cut off from all communication with his father and family

• May be at risk of being taken out of state or even adopted against his will

• Has previously been hidden in remote, isolated locations with no contact

A wellness check is supposed to verify the actual safety and condition of a minor—not simply acknowledge that someone “thinks” he’s in the state.

Here’s What This Implies:

• Police never physically laid eyes on Grant.

• They likely accepted the word of Sarah Hornbeck or John Michel.

• They did not confirm his welfare, safety, or living conditions.

• They failed to meet the standard of care required when a concerned parent files a wellness request on a minor.

This lack of real verification should trigger alarm bells. It raises even more urgency in answering the central question: where is Grant Reichert, and why won't anyone in authority ensure that he's actually safe?

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Is This Really In the Best Interest of the Child?

The phrase “best interests of the child” is a cornerstone of family law.

So let’s ask:

• Is it in Grant’s best interest to be unreachable, in hiding, in silence—while his father pleads for a court to intervene?

• Is it in Grant’s best interest to be told that speaking to his dad could land him in jail?

• Is it in Grant’s best interest to spend another Father’s Day estranged from the man who raised him, loved him, and is fighting to protect him?

What kind of system denies wellness checks, blocks emergency motions, and refuses even supervised contact for a father who has done nothing wrong but keep fighting?

What kind of system refuses to let a 15-year-old be heard in court while rumors of abuse, threats, and isolation swirl unanswered? Especially, a court system that has no constitutional jurisdiction over Jeff or Grant.

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A Father's Love vs. A System's Indifference

Jeff Reichert is not hiding. He’s not ducking responsibility. He’s not the problem.

He is an attorney, a veteran, a basketball coach, and a father living in agony, stripped of rights not because of his fitness, but because of a deeply broken legal system that favors bureaucracy and power over truth and accountability.

His son is the one being harmed.

And if this system can do it to someone like Jeff—with knowledge of the law, with documentation, with persistence—what hope is there for the rest of us?

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Bring Grant Home

There must be accountability. There must be reform. And there must be a public reckoning with what is happening in this case and others like it.

Ask yourself:
What would you do if your child disappeared under court protection?
How would you feel if the system didn’t just ignore your pleas—but actively enabled your erasure?

This Father’s Day, instead of celebrating, Jeff will sit in silence again. No hug. No call. No trace of his son. Just more motions. More denials. And more silence.

Where is Grant Reichert?
That’s the question we all need to ask. Loudly. Relentlessly. Publicly.

And we won’t stop until there’s an answer.

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To support independent journalism and Jeff’s fight for his son, visit FreeGrantReichert.com
Contact mikethunderphillips@gmail.com for press inquiries
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