11 year old boy found handcuffed to porch with dead chicken around his neck

[MuffyBee]

The article below presents pros and cons to home schooling and it makes a very good read imo.  Remember little Zahra Baker? She and another child Erica Parsons are mentioned in the article. 

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/23/4491992/booming-nc-home-schools-face-little.html
Booming NC home schools face little scrutiny
November 23, 2013

Links to the recent discussion threads at Scared Monkeys of the two NC children mentioned in the above article:

http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=9241.0
Zahra Claire Baker

http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=14608.0
Erica Lynn Parsons of NC Last Seen 11/19/11, Not Reported Missing Until 7/30/13

[seahorse]

She was looked upon as a "Hero" 


 March 2, 2003

EVERYDAY HEROES 

Everyday Heroes Wanda Sue Larson Foster parent MOTTO: "I start the day with a goal to have a positive influence." AGE: 46 HOMETOWN: Antigo, Wis.; has lived in Monroe since 1996 HER WORK Has been a foster parent for five years. Helps organize seasonal events for foster parents and children (and adoptive families) that include Christmas parties, Easter egg hunts, pool parties and Valentine socials. Plans fundraisers to help purchase glasses and shoes 


>> Purchase complete article, of 244 words



http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CO&s_site=charlotte&p_multi=CO&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F991721D89CAC1A&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

   If the eleven year old was like Eddie Haskell   she had the option of returning the child to the Court and simply saying, she bit off more than she could chew, too much on her, but she did not, why?  Did the children feed and care for the wildstock on her grounds?  Why did she keep a child, that she did not want to feed?  IMO

[seahorse]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/19/4481153/state-to-review-union-county-dss.html#.UpI3SydYKrw

State to review Union County DSS work
By Michael Gordon and Adam Bell
mgordon@charlotteobserver.com abell@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013


 

Before she came to Union County, Larson was a licensed nurse in Alaska and Iowa. According to records, she surrendered her Alaska license for “unprofessional conduct” reasons in 1990.

In May 2012, she submitted forms to start a home school for the children under her care. She called it “Eclectic Primer School.”

end

 

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/19/4481153/state-to-review-union-county-dss.html#.UpI3SydYKrw#storylink=cpy

[seahorse]

Foster parents of cuffed child want lawyers
Next hearing set for Jan. 7
By Graham Winch and Nick Valencia HLNtv.com
POSTED: 10:02 AM AKST Nov 18, 2013    UPDATED: 11:32 AM AKST Nov 18, 2013

 

The aunt of three of the children removed from the home, including the 11-year-old foster child, told CNN Monday about how the children were severely punished.

"If you came to the table late you were not allowed but a half of your plate of food. Then you do not get the next meal. If you do not do your chores or listen to her then you do not get your meals that day. If you do not finish your school work on time then you are therefore not allowed to leave your room, and they were put inside their room and chained in there," Cindy Robbins said.

 

 
http://www.ktuu.com/news/nation/Foster-parents-of-cuffed-child-want-lawyers/-/21043684/23031528/-/tq6gqez/-/index.html


      Does, Auntie, knows more?

[seahorse]

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Indian-Trail-Mayor-asking-for-a-review-of-Union-Co-DSS-233247391.html

[seahorse]

Sheriff: Child was handcuffed regularly in Union County


 DIANA RUGG / NBC Charlotte
Bio | Email | Follow: @DianaRuggwcnc

Posted on November 17, 2013 at 10:16 PM

Updated Monday, Nov 18 at 3:28 PM

 

Dozens of chickens, turkeys, geese, and even a peahen roamed the property among junked cars, bicycles, and appliances.  Deputies fed two llamas and a horse that shared a pen behind the house.     

Sheriff Eddie Cathey said two dogs had already been remove

snipped for space

"There's no reason, no thinking of a common sense person would think anyone living in those condition could adopt -- not only a child --we wouldn't let them adopt an animal out of our animal shelter," said Cathey.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Sheriff-Boy-was-handcuffed--232289971.html

[MuffyBee]

I came across the article below and although it's dated November 19, 2013 and therefore older, I thought the contents were quite interesting. 


http://www.khou.com/home/Man-says-boy-found-with-dead-chicken-around-neck-was-no-sweet-innocent-kid-232493501.html
Relative: Boy found chained with dead chicken around neck was no 'sweet, innocent kid'
Posted on November 19, 2013 at 8:24 AM
Updated Tuesday, Nov 19 at 11:57 AM

UNION COUNTY, N.C. -- The adopted son of the Union County couple accused of abusing their children defends their character saying, they are "loving" parents.

The man, did not want to be identified.  He says he came to live with Wanda Larson and Dorian Harper when he was 14 years old.

He lived under their roof, under their rules, up until two years ago, when he turned 18.

"I grew up in a caring and loving home," he said.

The "punishment," he received at the home he thought was fair and "fit the crime."
 

Union County Sheriff Animal Services were at the house on Austin Road gathering the remaining animals found on the property. It included an estimated 75 fowl (chicken, ducks, guineas and peacock) three horses, three donkeys, two llamas, eight dogs and a hog.

When asked about why his 11 year old sibling would have a dead chicken tied around his neck, he said, "more than likely, the chicken around the neck, was to shame the child. There has to be something going on, between that child and that chicken. He either, one, didn't feed it and it died, or two, either he was out there harassing the chicken. He may have killed the chicken. This child has been known to be cruel to animals," he said.

To his knowledge, the 11-year-old boy has been living with the couple since he was 6.

He is the only foster child among five, not adopted.

 "Everyone says this is some sweet innocent kid when in actuality, he is not. He has been to counseling, he is on numerous heavy medications, but nothing has worked," he said.

According to the County DSS, all four of the couple's children,  under 14 years of age, were adopted before Larson took on a supervisory role with the department.

Her son says, she was not home when a deputy came by the house Friday on an animal complaint to find the boy chained to the porch railing with the dead chicken.

He is certain, his mother would not have agreed to his father's choice of "discipline," if she was around.

"Their resolution is whatever they may have done. I don't condone it, I don't think it's right, but in their head they had no viable option, left, to ensure safety of the other children, and the safety of their household."

The accusations, the boy was underfed, he said are also not true.  He blames the boy's small frame on a medical condition that stunted his growth since birth.

"He is the type of child when everybody goes to bed at night, he gets up, sneaks downstairs and steals food," he said.

When asked if that was a sign he was not being properly nourished, he replied, "he would sneak out into the garage take raw meat out of the freezer, let it thaw overnight and next day go out there and eat it raw," he said.

"He has severe psychological issues."

"He was not allowed to carry his own lunch box because would eat what food is in his lunch and then, throw the lunch box away and say he didn't have lunch for the day."

Union County Sheriff deputies plan to interview the children to get a better idea of their living environment.  He accepted the fact his parents will suffer the consequence of their actions, but said they cared for the children.

"Everyone assumed all five children in the home have been abused, that is not accurate. You ask all four of the children, they will say they lived in a loving and caring home."

The 11-year-old's relatives say they have tried for years to get DSS to look into the allegations of abuse.

They claim to have pictures to prove the child was physically abused and plan to turn it over as evidence to authorities.
 

 

[Sister]

Muffy, this is so sad on so many levels.
Even if this child was not "so innocent" -- what kind of depraved person leaves a child chained with a dead chicken around his neck?  I am sure that didn't help his mental state.  God have mercy!

[MuffyBee]

Muffy, this is so sad on so many levels.
Even if this child was not "so innocent" -- what kind of depraved person leaves a child chained with a dead chicken around his neck?  I am sure that didn't help his mental state.  God have mercy!

I know what you mean, Sister.    
Why was he and the other children malnourished, yet the animals were well fed?  Why did the children sleep on the floor in a house with animal feces and squalid conditions?  It's not like the family lacked education or an understanding of basic health (both physical and mental) and general well being of children and sanitary issues, considering she was a DCS supervisor and he an ER Nurse. 

[Wyks]

So many unanswered questions so far.. will be glad when more info comes out. 

A scary thought occured to me is - wonder how the children on her caseload at work were treated, by her as their worker and/or allowed to be treated by their foster parents.  ??? 

Considering how conditions at her own home were, as reported so far, seems she doesn't draw much of a line at was is and what isn't 'child abuse'.  How could she hold any other parent or guardian/foster parent at a higher standard than her own standards were? 

If I were a supervisor or another worker in the agencies she has been employed with in the past, I'd for sure be either looking into all previous caseload of this woman, or asking superiors to please do that at once. 

Just my own opinion, but am thinking that the spokesperson for the last agency she was with may already be beginning to cover their butts, because s/he made a comment in one of the news reports linked upthread (and paraphrased here).. that the children in this woman's care were placed there by someone else, previous to her coming to their agency.  That's mighty convenient for them, I'd say. 

So ..... the next thought that comes to mind is.... what was the agency who placed them in her care back whenever that was?  Are they scrambling now to cover their butts too?  Are they looking into how the heck it came to be that this caregiver from hell was entrusted with several children? 

Also would be curious to know why the woman left one of her previous jobs voluntarily, in another state?  Voluntarily, as opposed to being fired?  Did the state she arrived in next know of her employment history?  So many questions I'd like for them to report on. 

Oh... and in one of the articles upthread, it explains a little about the boys birth mother.  Seems she was paying the caregiver child support, and was in arrears, paying that off as well.  Ermmm...  So the caregiver is the boys 'guardian', the birth mother has not relinquished parental rights, she wants her son back, son wants to go back.  Wondering if there was an agency/court involved in this arrangement?  How did the boy end up in her care, several years ago?  Curious if she appointed herself as caregiver at a previous job, rather than assigning another guardian/ foster parent? 

Evidently the woman had a few children living with her who are siblings, who she supposedly adopted.  Were they siblings of this boy too?   

Sooooooooooo sad for the children and for the animals living there as well.  The children have already been thru soooooo much, before even meeting her.  Then the way she treated them, on top of what they already had experienced.  Am thinking much therapy will be needed down the road as they grow up.  Sigh. 

 
 

[Sister]

So many unanswered questions so far.. will be glad when more info comes out. 

A scary thought occured to me is - wonder how the children on her caseload at work were treated, by her as their worker and/or allowed to be treated by their foster parents.  ??? 

Considering how conditions at her own home were, as reported so far, seems she doesn't draw much of a line at was is and what isn't 'child abuse'.  How could she hold any other parent or guardian/foster parent at a higher standard than her own standards were? 

If I were a supervisor or another worker in the agencies she has been employed with in the past, I'd for sure be either looking into all previous caseload of this woman, or asking superiors to please do that at once. 

Just my own opinion, but am thinking that the spokesperson for the last agency she was with may already be beginning to cover their butts, because s/he made a comment in one of the news reports linked upthread (and paraphrased here).. that the children in this woman's care were placed there by someone else, previous to her coming to their agency.  That's mighty convenient for them, I'd say. 

So ..... the next thought that comes to mind is.... what was the agency who placed them in her care back whenever that was?  Are they scrambling now to cover their butts too?  Are they looking into how the heck it came to be that this caregiver from hell was entrusted with several children? 

Also would be curious to know why the woman left one of her previous jobs voluntarily, in another state?  Voluntarily, as opposed to being fired?  Did the state she arrived in next know of her employment history?  So many questions I'd like for them to report on. 

Oh... and in one of the articles upthread, it explains a little about the boys birth mother.  Seems she was paying the caregiver child support, and was in arrears, paying that off as well.  Ermmm...  So the caregiver is the boys 'guardian', the birth mother has not relinquished parental rights, she wants her son back, son wants to go back.  Wondering if there was an agency/court involved in this arrangement?  How did the boy end up in her care, several years ago?  Curious if she appointed herself as caregiver at a previous job, rather than assigning another guardian/ foster parent? 

Evidently the woman had a few children living with her who are siblings, who she supposedly adopted.  Were they siblings of this boy too?   

Sooooooooooo sad for the children and for the animals living there as well.  The children have already been thru soooooo much, before even meeting her.  Then the way she treated them, on top of what they already had experienced.  Am thinking much therapy will be needed down the road as they grow up.  Sigh. 

 
 

Good questions that I too hope get answered.
Good comments too -- I share your thoughts.