JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- The man arrested Friday for the brutal decapitation and murder of his father in southern Indiana told his mom on the phone he cut his dad's head off because he was the "evilest person that ever lived," court documents say.

The probable cause affidavit for Bryce Winnecke lays out the timeline of events Friday in a Jeffersonville neighborhood before and after Winnecke is accused of killing his father. According to her interview with police, Ann Winnecke — the mother of the suspect and ex-wife of the victim, 73-year-old Erich Winnecke — called police early that morning when she hadn't heard from her ex-husband. She told police she suspected her son might have hurt him.

She remained friendly with her ex-husband and spoke to him regularly, and it was unusual to not hear from him for several days. Ann Winnecke suspected her son because he'd been behaving very "delusional and acting very weird" recently, she told police. Ann Winnecke added her son and ex-husband had heated debates recently, that continued for weeks.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Ann Winnecke said Bryce Winnecke, who lived with her, ran downstairs around 9:15 a.m. Friday, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and ran outside. He "seemed excited," she told police.

Police said it was an isolated incident within a family that wasn't random.

About 40 minutes later, she called police to request a welfare check for Erich Winnecke. According to the probable cause affidavit, before officers arrived, Ann Winnecke and another one of her sons entered the house at 1700 Summerlin Drive and found her ex-husband on the floor of the bedroom with "obvious trauma." The first responding officers reported the man had "extreme trauma."

Ann Winnecke told police she then called her son, who told her "I killed him. I went over to dad's because he is the evilest person that ever lived. I cut his head off." 

His body was found in the main bedroom of the home, police said, along with a knife that was 12-14 inches long. The blade was deformed, police said, consistent with a blade "coming into contact with hard substances."

According to the probable cause affidavit, Erich Winnecke had stab wounds to his abdomen and chest, and all four walls and the ceiling had "mass evidence" of blood splatter.

"The victim's head and brain was not located within the confines of the residence or property," police said in the documents.

Police said Erich Winnecke's head was found in a plastic trash bag in Bryce Winnecke's bedroom in the 3000 block of Callaway Drive, in the home he lived in with his mother and brother.

"The head was compared to a known government issued ID of Erich V. Winnecke and identified as being the head removed from the body of the victim ...," police said. 

Later Friday, police obtained video from the house's Ring security camera, which showed Bryce walking away from the house at 9:47 a.m. Friday carrying a "plastic bag with an object of significant size."

Police said there were "first hand observations of Bryce Winnecke by initial patrol officers in the yard ... carrying (an) object in a plastic bag approximately the size of a human head while carrying a knife." Officers said Friday that Bryce Winnecke went inside the home on Callaway, leading to a four-hour standoff with police.

Bryce Winnecke ultimately came outside and was arrested without incident. He's being held at the Clark County Jail, charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.

Police said this was an isolated incident within a family that wasn't random. 

"There is no risk to the community right now," Moss said.

Bryce Winnecke has no prior criminal history, court records show. His initial hearing Monday morning was rescheduled due to a medical issue. He's now scheduled to be in court at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19. 

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