Cops in Indiana take Bryce Winnecke into custody after he allegedly decapitated his father (WLKY).
Indiana police stumbled upon a gruesome scene when they discovered a victim decapitated in his own residence — with the head later found at a different location.
The events unfolded around 10 a.m. on Friday when the ex-wife of the victim, 73-year-old Erich V. Winnecke Sr., alerted police for a welfare check at his home on the 1700 block of Summerlin Place in Jeffersonville. This area is near the border between Indiana and Kentucky. She was worried about his wellbeing due to ongoing issues between him and their son, 33-year-old Bryce William Winnecke, as detailed in a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.
“This is going to sound graphic, but his head was cut off,” a 911 caller mentioned, according to the local NBC affiliate WAVE. “And we don’t know where his head is.”
Cops went inside and made the shocking discovery.
“It was a very apparent homicide,” Jeffersonville police Detective Sam Moss told reporters.
The victim was found in his bedroom, displaying “significant evidence of defensive wounds” and numerous stab wounds on his chest, as noted in the complaint. Blood was spattered across the bedroom walls, officers recorded. A large knife with a roughly one-foot blade that had deformed likely from striking “hard substances” was also recovered by the investigators.
As investigators surveyed the scene, Bryce Winnecke spoke with his mother — who was at the victim’s house — on the phone.
“I killed him,” he allegedly told his mother. “I went over to dad’s because he is the evilest person that ever lived, I cut his head off.”
Officers discovered he was at his mother’s residence about a mile away on the 3000 block of Callaway Drive. He was reportedly carrying a plastic bag “approximately the size of a human head.” Holding a knife, he ran indoors when he noticed the police, then refused to come out, the complaint revealed.
The SWAT team was dispatched, and after utilizing flash-bang devices, officers managed to persuade Winnecke to exit the house after around four hours.
Following the standoff, cops went inside where they discovered the victim’s head in his son’s bedroom, per the affidavit.
“Let’s please keep in mind, we have a family that was affected by the result of this,” Chief Kenny Kavanaugh said, adding the scene was “horrific.”
Bryce Winnecke stands accused of murder and abuse of a corpse. He remains at the Clark County Jail.
Neighbors on Summerlin Place where the original crime occurred were stunned by all the police activity.
“It’s shocking because this is a safe neighborhood,” Randi Snider told local CBS affiliate WLKY. “When families have issues, it can hit anywhere. Just anywhere. So it’s sad.”
