On Thursday afternoon, he was found there unresponsive, his wrists bruised from the plastic ties that bound him. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.

Now, his father and stepmother are charged with his murder.

The boy's father, Brice Brian McMillan, 41, and stepmother, Sandra Elizabeth McMillan, 36, were charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse. They were being held without bail Friday in Edgecombe County's jail.

Edgecombe County Sheriff James Knight said Friday that Brice McMillan told deputies that the boy had been disobedient on Tuesday. McMillan said he tried to discipline his son, who still wouldn't listen, so the child was tied to a tree in the family's yard overnight.

Knight said the boy was tied with plastic ties akin to handcuffs. "There were other things on the body that led us to believe they used something different" in addition to the plastic ties, he said.

On Wednesday morning, the ties were cut and the boy was allowed back in the house, Knight said.

On Wednesday night, the boy continued to misbehave and was again tied to the tree, where he remained until Sandra McMillan found him unresponsive about 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Knight said.

The boy had languished outdoors while the area was blanketed in dense, acrid smoke from the Pocosin Lakes wildfire to the east. State officials had warned residents to stay indoors because of the smoke's health threat.

After authorities arrived, the child was taken to Heritage Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Law enforcement officials have not given a cause of death.

Knight said he had some idea of what the child was being disciplined for, but he said he could not share that information. He said he did not know which parent initiated the discipline.

Two other children, ages 7 and 9, were placed in the custody of the Edgecombe Department of Social Services, the sheriff said.

Peaceful and rural

Macclesfield is in rural southern Edgecombe County, roughly between Wilson and Greenville and about 55 miles east of Raleigh. Open farmland predominates, with houses and stands of shade trees scattered along two-lane roads.

Neighbors James and Janice Pollard said Friday they had no idea the McMillan boy was being abused.

"If I had known he was tied to a tree, I would have gone over there and got him loose," said James Pollard, 76. "That was ridiculous."

The Pollards said the McMillans moved to the home several months ago.

James Pollard said Brice McMillan told him he was a construction worker.

Janice Pollard recalled Brice McMillan asking her about the neighborhood during a visit before they moved in.

"I told him it was the most peaceful place he'd ever find," she said.

A lone dog lay tied to a tree in the flat front yard at the McMillan family's red brick farmhouse on Friday.

Out back, to the left, a horse roamed. Near a wooden swing set in the shady rear, a pen housed two grazing goats and six chickens.

The news of what happened in Macclesfield was the talk of surrounding communities.

Donna Harrelson, 45, said she heard about it at work. On Friday night, she was at Tarboro High School along with hundreds of others, celebrating the graduation of the latest senior class.

"I think that's some sorry parents," Harrelson said. "I think they need to do the same things to the parents."

Chad Harper, 27, of Greenville, talked of his 2-year-old son, Noah. He said if the situation ever got so bad that he thought that was the only way to discipline his child, "I'd certainly seek help."

"That's everybody's general reaction to it, just outrageous," he said.

Both of the McMillans are widowed, according to past news reports.

Sandra McMillan's first husband, Dwayne "Scott" Wilburn of Rockledge, Fla., died in 2002 at age 38, according to his newspaper obituary. The couple had a daughter, Brynana Shay Wilburn.

Brice McMillan's first wife, Michelle Sasser "Mickie" McMillan of Greenville, died in 2004 at age 37, according to her newspaper obituary. The couple had two sons, Tyler Gene McMillan and Ryan Wesley McMillan.

Records show that Brice McMillan has been convicted of several driving violations, but nothing more serious.

Sandra McMillan was convicted of theft in Florida in 1991 and received probation, records show.

Their first court appearances on the murder and child abuse charges are scheduled for Monday.

(Staff writer Matthew Eisley and news researcher Brooke Cain contributed to this report.)