A California man tied his two-year-old son to a tree outside their home for an unknown period of time with no food or water, officials have said.

Deputies arrested Jeffery Wilson, 27, after the found the child bound outside an illegal encampment on Highway 20 in Willits.

'The rope was tied around the child's wrist and secured to a tree branch,' Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Jeffery Wilson tied his two-year-old son to a tree outside their home for an unknown period of time with no food or water, officials have said

'The child was also lacking basic food and water, was only clothed in a diaper, and was exposed to numerous hazards within the encampment.

They also found several 'weapons and dangerous objects' which could have been used to cause the child harm, the Sheriff's Office said.

Wilson, who was also found to be in possession of controlled substances, was arrested on felony child neglect and abuse.

Officers visited the site after the owner reported illegal campers on his property.

The Sheriff's Office said Wilson had previously been warned to clean up and vacate the area on two prior occasions.

Wilson was subsequently booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $25,000.00 bail.