In North Carolina, a Family of Five Was Tortured With Hot Metal During a Break-in: Police
A family of five in North Carolina was robbed and beaten up over the weekend. The sheriff in that area says it was “pure torture.”
Two or three men broke into the home of a family in western Harnett County around 2 a.m. on June 15. The family was sitting in their garage with the door open when the men broke in. CBS affiliate WNCN and NBC affiliate WRAL both said that the men raped the family and stole some of their things, citing the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Wayne Coats told WRAL that the five men tortured the family by tying them up with duct tape and heating up a “knife and fork on top of [their] stove” to “stick it to the bodies” of the family members. “They asked them to show where their money and guns were,” Coats said, adding that there were no guns in the house.
The suspects then stole a lot of personal things, broke into the house, abused the kids, and drove off in two stolen cars, according to WRAL. The men drove off in their own silver or gray Dodge Challenger.
WNCN says the family still doesn’t have a gray Honda Accord with four doors.
When PEOPLE asked the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office for more information on Sunday, June 23, they did not answer right away.
WRAL shared a GoFundMe for the family that was allegedly set up by Mayra Morales-Scott, sister of one of the victims. It has since raised more than $13,000 of its $15,000 goal. It said on the fundraising page that Morales-Scott “words cannot describe the pain and devastation that our family is experiencing right now.”
She wrote that “masked intruders” attacked her sister, her brother-in-law, and the “young children.” She also said that their “entire house was ransacked” and that they are now “psychologically, emotionally, and physically suffering.”
“Our extended family and close friends are devastated,” she said. “Their home was vandalized and their peace of mind and safety will never feel the same.”
Morales-Scott says the goal of the GoFundMe effort is to raise money to pay for her sister’s medical bills, replace things that were stolen, and give her sister’s family extra help. “We are asking for your prayers, words of encouragement, your empathy and to please respect our family’s privacy during this difficult time,” she said.
Jeffrey Miller told WRAL that he “thought nothing like that would ever happen.” He lives two doors down from the family and has lived in the area for 16 years.
“I’m so sorry for the family,” Miller said, adding that he had made his own house safer.
Source: PEOPLE