GODWIN, N.C. -- Four adults have been arrested, and another six are being sought, after an almost year-long investigation in Cumberland County found that "several" children, ages 9 to 17, were held at a communal property and forced to work as full-time employees at fish markets as a part of an "alternative religious group".

John C. McCullom, Brenda Hall, Cornelia McDonald and Pamela Puga Luna have all been arrested this week, following the investigation which revealed they were holding children in "involuntary servitude by means of force, fraud, or coercion". 

According to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, authorities in February 2017 began looking into a property known as "McCollum Ranch" after reports were received that John C. McCollum and others were running multiple "John C's Fish Markets" across Cumberland and Robeson Counties and forcing the children who lived there to work full-time under the pretext of a home school program. 

In March 2017, the sheriff's office received information from the Raleigh Police Department that John C. McCollum and Brenda Hall had used a victim's personal information to create fraudulent high school transcripts in order to apply for admission and financial aid at Wake Technical Community College. The victim reported that this was done in order to secure funds from financial aid to benefit criminal enterprises at the McCollum Ranch. The victim's relationship to the ranch has not been disclosed by authorities. 

Officials believe Wake Tech was not the only school targeted.

In August 2017, Fayetteville police received a report from the ranch that a 15-year-old juvenile male had run away from the compound. According to the juvenile's mother, the minor ran away three weeks prior to the informing of authorities.

After police managed to locate the juvenile at an address on Rosehill Road, approximately 18 miles from the ranch, the boy told detectives that he chose to flee because he and his brother, along with several other children, were forced to work long hours, often more than 40 hours per week, at the fish markets. 

The overall investigation revealed that Brenda Joyce Hall was managing a fraudulent home school program on the property known as "Halls of Knowledge Home School." Evidence confirmed the school was not providing an education for the children, rather, the children were working various full-time positions at the fish markets.

Evidence also confirmed Hall attempted to defraud financial aid from various educational institutions. 

Authorities have secured additional warrants for the arrests of Shirley McNatt, Daffene Edge, Kassia Rogers, Irish Williams, Shirnitka McNatt, and Earlene Hayat, Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.