SACRAMENTA, Calif., Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A father and stepmother accused of locking a 13-year-old boy in chains were arrested and the child has been returned to his biological mother, authorities said.
The boy's father, John Van, 41, and stepmother, Thong Vue, 34, were arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and cruelty to a child, The Sacramento Bee reported Monday.
The boy was apparently being punished by his father and was allegedly locked in chains from Wednesday until Friday evening when he managed to escape and ask for help, police spokesman Officer Konrad von Schoech said.
Officers responding to calls about a boy asking passersby for help found him with chains and a padlock on each ankle, von Schoech said.
There was also a long length of chain that was connected to the padlocks, he said.
Authorities located the victim's biological mother, who picked up her son Friday night, von Schoech said, adding that Sacramento County's Child Protective Services agency "will get involved at this point."
"They will look into the history of this family, and we will conduct the criminal (investigation)," he said.
