Paul Boyd's video: Boy and Hero Deputy Reunion - Part 1 - WSOC-TV 2016

Courtesy: WSOC-TV Charlotte Original Airdate: October 27, 2016 It was a case that received national attention in 2013 when an 11-year-old boy was found handcuffed to his porch with a dead chicken around his neck. The boy was rescued by a Union County sheriff's deputy. Channel 9 cameras captured the moment the young boy was reunited with the Union County deputy who rescued him from an abusive home. It was the first time they had seen each other since that day. When Deputy Robert Rucker walked into the room, the boy smiled from ear to ear. He shook the hand of his hero then gave him a big hug. "You doing alright? You're doing a lot better now this time, aren't you?" Rucker asked. Channel 9 is protecting the boy’s identity, because he was a victim in the Union County child abuse case that made national headlines. Rucker found the boy handcuffed to a porch with that dead chicken around his neck three years ago. The boy is now 14 years old and earning A's and B's in school. "Thank you for saving my life. I really appreciate it. I don't know where I would have been if you didn't come up there," the boy told the deputy during the reunion. "You never have to say that. I'm glad to have been there for you. I just wish I could have been there sooner," Rucker said. The boy was saved from a house of horrors. Former Union County Department of Social Services supervisor Wanda Sue Larson and her boyfriend, Dorian Lee Harper, both pleaded guilty to multiple child abuse charges. They were caring for the boy in their foster home with four other children. Harper admitted to cutting the boy's face with a knife, burning him with an electrical wire and handcuffing him to the porch with a dead chicken around his neck. Rucker was responding to an unrelated call when he spotted the boy and ultimately rescued him. The boy's biological mother eventually regained custody of her son and asked Channel 9 reporter Paul Boyd to arrange the reunion. She said her son wanted the reunion to happen for a long time. Union County Sheriff’s Deputy Pauline Lucore took care of the boy in the hours after his rescue and received the longest hug of the reunion. "I really miss you," the boy said, as he embraced her. Lucore gave the boy a gift bag she put together for him. "Thank you so much. That is so cool," the boy said, as he opened his gifts. He received a flashlight and hat along with other items from the Sheriff's Office. The boy’s eyes went wide as he discovered a Carolina Panthers jersey in the bag of his favorite player, Cam Newton. The deputies couldn’t get over how he's grown in three years, and the boy can't stop showing his appreciation to those who rescued him. "I'm really thankful, and I’m glad I get to see everybody who helped me that day. And I just don't know where I’d be if none of you came. I'm just really thankful," the boy said. But Channel 9's day with the special boy wasn't over. He asked his mom to return to the home where the abuse happened. WATCH... Boy and Hero Deputy Reunion - Part 2: https://youtu.be/1jBfgAk8nfg Boy and Hero Deputy Reunion - Part 3: https://youtu.be/moYjiszw7dI --- Production Credits: Jeremy Letterman - Photographer / Editor Bill Bruce - Photographer