The Parker Family of New Hill, N.C., told sheriff's authorities they woke up one day last weekend to find Tom the Turkey, a valuable rare black Heritage turkey, missing from his roost, WRAL, Raleigh, N.C., reported Friday.

The family said they were grooming Tom to be a prize-winner potentially worth up to $1,500. But more than his worth, family members said they saw Tom as a beloved pet.

"He's a pet that we've had for the past two years, and he's greatly missed" -- especially by the family's 5-year-old son, T.J. Parker, the mother, said. "For some reason, the little one, he was especially close to the turkey."

Thieves had struck the farm before, once taking five mail-order chicks and eggs, the television station reported.