Washington - The parents of a 14-year-old boy who had kept the teenager locked in a closet for four and a half years in the US state of Oklahoma have been arrested, reported the Oklahoman newspaper Tuesday.

The boy managed to free himself on Friday when his parents forgot to barricade his door. He ran from the house and flagged down a security guard at a National Guard armoury, reported the newspaper.

Officials said they were shocked by the boy's appearance. He was filthy, emaciated and covered with scars, some fresh. He told authorities he hadn't eaten in a week.

LaRhonda M McCall, 37 and Steve V Hamilton, 38, were arrested Saturday on charges of child abuse and neglect, authorities told the newspaper.

According to the boy, he had previously lived in New Jersey, but joined his parents in Oklahoma after his mother was released from jail four and a half years ago.

Six other children living with McCall, none of them showing signs of abuse, were removed to state custody, the newspaper reported.(dpa)