In a tragic turn of events in Charlotte, North Carolina, a young man faces grave allegations after his uncle was found dead in the backyard of their family home. Christian Heredia Caraballo, 19, is charged with the murder of his 50-year-old uncle, Ernesto Caraballo Toledo. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department made this announcement following the suspect’s arrest.

The incident, which dates back to October, unfolded on the 1300 block of Wembley Drive, a quiet neighborhood in the bustling city. In the early morning hours of October 18, Caraballo, Toledo, and two other family members were at home. While the rest of the family was asleep inside, Caraballo and Toledo were in the backyard when the situation took a deadly turn.

According to court documents reviewed by Law&Crime, Caraballo returned inside with injuries, including numerous cuts on his hands and a possible ear injury, but couldn’t provide an explanation for them. He informed the other family members that something had occurred, urging them to come outside.

Upon receiving the distress call, police officers arrived at the scene to find Toledo on the ground, suffering from severe head trauma. Despite the prompt arrival of paramedics, they could only confirm Toledo’s death at the location.

As the community grapples with this shocking incident, authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged family tragedy.

In the backyard near Toledo’s body lay a “broken rock like paver” in two pieces, per the affidavit. The furniture in the yard was “broken and overturned” and “[b]lood drops and handprints were located throughout the rear of the house, in the kitchen and the living room.”

The other two family members at the scene gave “consistent statements” that they were inside in bed when Caraballo told them they needed to go outside, authorities said. The suspect, however, “had a different story.”

Caraballo claimed Toledo was outside by himself for about five minutes when he went to check on his uncle and found him dead. He said, “He did not know how the blood got everywhere and did not know how the furniture got broken.”

An autopsy performed on Toledo determined that, in addition to trauma to his head, “he also had been strangled.” According to the police, Caraballo’s DNA “matched swabs taken from the murder weapon, under the victim’s fingernails, and on a suspected bite mark on the victim’s arm.”

Authorities have not released what they believe led to the alleged violent confrontation.

Caraballo was placed in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center and is being held without bond. His next court date is scheduled for Dec. 23.