Franklin County deputies have charged a teen with murder after his mother was decapitated Monday in what the sheriff described as a “gruesome scene.”
It happened at a home on Morgan Drive near Stonehill Drive just south of U.S. Highway 64. The area is east of Zebulon – near the Wake County line, in a normally quiet corner of Franklin County.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Terry Wright said 18-year-old Oliver Mauricio Funes Machada called 911 himself around 12:45 p.m. Monday and was still on the scene when deputies arrived.
After calling 911, the 18-year-old suspect walked out of the house holding his mother’s head in one hand and what appeared to be a large knife in the other, according to authorities.
“It looked to be a large butcher knife, the weapon that was used.” said Sheriff Kent Winstead.
The teen – who was taken into custody without incident – is charged with first-degree murder.