An Arizona man has been taken into custody after his son’s body was discovered rotting on the couch, according to investigators.
According to the Arizona Republic, AZ Family, and KVOA, which reference a police press release, Joseph Gregory Antonsen was arrested on Sunday, July 14, after the finding of his 9-year-old son at the family’s house in the Picture Rocks region.
According to online jail records, the 38-year-old is being held on a $500,000 bond and charged with child abuse and negligent homicide.
It’s unclear whether he’s entered a plea or hired an attorney.
According to a news release published by the outlets, authorities were conducting a welfare check on the property when they discovered Antonsen’s kid motionless and seated on a couch. The boy’s body “was in the process of decomposition,” according to the Arizona Republic, citing the news release.
According to the Arizona Republic, Antonsen allegedly informed officers that his youngster had been sick for two days. He reportedly wanted to take the youngster to the doctor but said his son began “shuttering and going limp,” according to the records.
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According to the records, when he turned on his car and came home, he discovered the youngster was not breathing or had a pulse.
According to the documents, Antonsen then claimed to have left the house with his son inside for an extended time, despite knowing he should have phoned for help.
According to KOLD, police allege that the property was littered with “empty beer cans, large piles of soiled diapers, rotten food, bottles full of what appears to be urine, lots of insect activity and spiders (black widow and brown recluse).”
A neighbor of the father and son told PEOPLE that she hadn’t seen the boy in about a month and had seen them less frequently in recent months than before.
“His son was quite cute. “He was a really friendly kid,” said the neighbor, whose daughter used to play with the boy. “He was quite polite. “He was much friendlier than his father.”
Another neighbor informed the newspaper that she believed the residence had been abandoned.