ZEBULON, N.C. -- Authorities in North Carolina have accused a teenager of decapitating his mother in what a sheriff called a “gruesome scene.”

Franklin County Sheriff Kent Winstead said 18-year-old Oliver Funez is charged with first-degree murder.

Winstead said a deputy answered a 911 call from Funez on Monday and saw the teen walking out of the house holding the head in one hand and what appeared to be a butcher knife in the other.

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Inside the home, deputies found the body of 35-year-old Yesenia Funez Beatriz Machado. Winstead said two young siblings were at home but were unharmed, and a fourth child was at school. Authorities did not elaborate on what led to the death.

Funez is being held in a local jail. It’s not known if he has an attorney.

Machado’s husband was on the scene just before 5 p.m. and was overcome with grief, Winstead told CBS affiliate WNCN.

Neighbors were also stunned by the news of the death.

“Complete and utter shock. ... This whole area is a quiet area and I didn’t know what to expect when I got home and saw police cars and everything around,” said Ryan Reader, a neighbor.

Authorities say the children are with their father.

“It’s a terrible situation for the family, a terrible situation for the neighborhood and this county. I’m just glad things worked out the way they did and no one else was hurt in taking the suspect into custody,” Winstead said.