A 38-year-old father from Picture Rocks, Arizona, was arrested after his 9-year-old's decomposing body was found on a couch.
Police took Joseph Gregory Antonsen into custody on suspicion of negligent homicide and child abuse in connection with his son's death.
Antonsen told investigators that his son fell ill about two days before his body was found and that he had planned to take him to receive medical attention, according to a complaint filed in Pima County Justice Court.
He explained that he started the car to take his son to the hospital, but when he went back into the house to put on a shirt, he noticed his son "shuttering and going limp."
Antonsen realized his son was no longer breathing and was unable to find a pulse.
That's when Antonsen says he left the home in the 6000 block of North Pelto Path for two days, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
He has refused to tell authorities where he went and stated that he would not be answering any more questions.
At roughly 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, deputies discovered the boy's body on a couch, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.
He was found in a sitting position and appeared to have been dead long enough for decomposition to begin.
Deputies described the residence as being "cluttered" with "piles of garbage around and near the couch."
The home had no running water or working toilets and was filled with "lots of empty beer cans, large piles of soiled diapers, rotten foods, and large amounts of one-gallon bottles full of what appeared to be urine," read the court filing.
The investigation is ongoing. Antonsen's preliminary hearing is set for July 25.
