KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California Entertainment, News, Sports and Weather | Son Accused of Gruesome Murder of Father

Son Accused of Gruesome Murder of Father

Kings County - Firefighters were called to a barn fire on 24 ½ Avenue near Riverdale on Wednesday.

As they battled the flames, they discovered an indoor marijuana grow and called deputies.

“28-year-old Nathan Caetano was arrested for the cultivation of marijuana and some probation violations,” announced Kings County Sheriff Chris Jordan.

But unfortunately, that's not all investigators found.

They discovered burnt remains in a fire pit and a coroner later confirmed they were human.

That same day, family members also reported 49-year-old Leonard Caetano, the father of the suspect, missing.

“We believe the body is that of Leonard Caetano, therefore we've updated the charges to arson and homicide,” said Sheriff Jordan.

A longtime neighbor told KMPH, she saw the two get into a verbal argument earlier this week.

“We know the son has quite a bit of problems, but we didn't think he could hurt his own family member,” said the neighbor who did not want to be identified, was devastated by the news.

“He's watched me grow up, he was a very good family friend...it's just horrible to hear that,” she said through sobs.

Even more horrific, word that her neighbor's body was found headless.

“The body has been decapitated, we were able to find the main portion of the body, and we are in the process of locating additional parts,” said Sheriff Jordan.

While investigators believe the remains they found are that of Leonard Caetano, they are still waiting on lab tests to confirm the identity of the body, which could take a couple weeks.