Father arrested after 9-year-old son found decomposing in home outside Tucson

Pima County Sheriff's Department arrested the father of a 9-year-old boy who was found dead and decomposing after prolonged child abuse, according to deputies in a news release.

Police said Joseph Antonsen, 38, faced charges of negligent homicide and child abuse after his son was found dead inside the family's residence near Sandario and Picture Rocks roads, about 30 minutes west of Tucson.

Antonsen told police his son became ill on Friday, eventually "shuttering and going limp," which prompted the father to take the boy to get medical attention. Antonsen reportedly went to turn on his vehicle and returned inside to find his son not breathing and without a pulse, according to court documents.

Antonsen told police he then left the house for an unknown location despite that he knew he "should have called somebody."

The father returned on Sunday and was arrested by police following a medical call to the home. Deputy Keith Bee declined to provide further information on who called for the medical assistance, citing an active investigation.

Deputies who entered the house found piles of trash around the body of the boy, along with piles of diapers, beer cans, rotten food, and one-gallon bottles filled apparently with urine, the court documents stated.

Deputies who found the body on a couch in the home said the boy, "was in the process of decomposition."

Further indicating an unlivable environment, deputies said the home had no running water or working toilets, according to court documents.

Antonsen reportedly refused to provide any further information to detectives, including why he did not provide medical aid or call for help.