(Reuters) – A teenage boy in Delaware, charged with murdering his father with a crossbow, was being held without bail Saturday in a juvenile detention facility, state police said.

Seth Ramsey, 17, of Harrington, was charged with first degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon, Delaware State Police said.

He was accused of shooting his 41-year-old father, Todd Ramsey, in the upper torso at the family’s home, state police said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Officers had been called to the home on Thursday after Todd Ramsey’s co-workers reported him missing from the job for several days, authorities said.

“When they (officers) initially arrived at the house, the two made contact with the man’s teenage son who claimed he may have killed his father,” state police said in a statement.

An autopsy would conclude when the man was killed, authorities said, and no motive has been established.

It was unclear if the teen had obtained an attorney or how he intends to plead to the murder charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or possibly the death penalty.

(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by David Gregorio)