Adams County – The day after Colorado’s “Spidey” boy was rescued from the woods, Evan Thomp son told his mother about the adventure. It was the first time they had seen each other in a week.
“He said there was bugs everywhere,” said Mary Thomp son, the boy’s biological mother, during a supervised visit with him at the Adams County Children and Family Center on Wednesday afternoon.
“He said he ate a beetle. He said it was soft and crunchy,” she said, laughing.
Now Thomp son – who lost custody of Evan more than a year ago after her husband, Clifford, was arrested on a drug charge – said she deserves to have her son back. The boy lives with Mary Thomp son’s brother, Arthur Gray, and his wife, Teddi, who are his legal guardians.
Thomp son said she appreciates their help, but Evan was lost while in their care.
“I’m going to call my lawyer, see if I can get him,” said Thomp son, who gets to see Evan for one hour each week.
But the Grays, both 45, said Thomp son needs to earn the privilege of seeing Evan.
The couple, who have two adult children, said they were ready to become empty nesters when authorities took Evan and his 14-year-old half-sister from the Thomp sons.
The Grays stepped in, getting the kids caught up on dental care and immunizations and enrolling them in school. They acknowledge that they relinquished care of the teen after she repeatedly ran away.
The Thomp sons had ample opportunity to comply with requirements – such as classes covering substance abuse and parenting – that would have let them regain custody, but they failed to do so, the Grays said.
“I want them to be back with their parents,” said Gray, “but they have to be earned.”
Thomp son said her brother and sister-in-law have long been critical of her.
“I’m the bad parent. I’m the one who made mistakes,” she said. “They lose my son, and they’re heroes.”
The Grays were not on the camping trip near Cañon City with Evan when he disappeared Saturday morning.
Searchers said they were able to find Evan on Tuesday because of the distinct prints left by his Spider-Man sneakers. Thomp son said the shoes had been a gift from his grandmother.
Thomp son said she and her husband, who is in a halfway house, have had a long history of drug use. But she said she has not used any controlled substances in about three months.
She said caseworkers have told her she needs to secure her own place, get a job, prove she’s a good parent, get drug and alcohol counseling, and get a mental evaluation before she can regain custody.
The boy’s grandmother, Josephine Gray, accompanied Thomp son on her visit with Evan.
The reunion, she said, was joyful. “He saw his mother and, right away, started giving her kisses.”
Staff writers John Ingold and Kevin Simpson contributed to this report.
Staff writer Karen Rouse can be reached at 303-820-1684 or krouse@denverpost.com.
