NC Parents Arrested After Adopted Child Found Chained to the Porch With a Dead Chicken on His Neck

Citizens of North Carolina were shocked after they heard that authorities had found a small boy chained to the porch of his house with a dead chicken tied to his neck on Nov. 16.

The minor's adoptive parents, a social worker and a nurse, have been arrested by the police and may face child abuse charges, according to the Agence France Presse.

According to the AFP, the 11-year-old boy and 4 other minors ages 8, 9, 13 and 14 who had been adopted by the couple were placed in the custody of a children's agency.

The AFP reported that Dorian Lee Harper, 57, was arrested at his house, while his wife, Wanda Sue Larson, 57, a social worker, was later arrested for complicity of child abuse against the minors in her care.

Monroe Sheriff, Eddie Cathey, said in a press release, quoted by Mirror News, that the minor was found when an officer was sent to investigate a domestic issue in a neighboring house and he noticed the boy chained next door; he then decided to investigate.

The minor was found chained with a manacle around his ankle, and was immediately rescued along with four other children, all adopted by Harper and Larson.

Besides the minors, various animals lacking minimal care were found, so the couple will be accused of animal abuse as well, explained Monroe's Sheriff's Office.

North Carolina authorities set bail at $525,000 for Harper, while Larson's was set at $500,000.

Both parents have been accused of "intentional child abuse with serious injuries, false imprisonment and cruelty against animals," AFP explained.