CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A 10-year-old Ohio boy was being held in custody on Monday for allegedly shooting and killing his mother with a rifle he received as a Christmas present.

Deborah McVay, 46, was found dead of a single gunshot wound to the head at her home in Big Prairie Sunday night, according to a statement from the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office. Big Prairie is located between Cleveland and Columbus.

McVay’s mother and the 10-year-old’s grandmother, Beulah Mae Mike, said the .22 caliber rifle allegedly used in the shooting had been a Christmas present to the boy.

“He was too young to have a gun,” Mike said. Mike said she believed the shooting “had to be an accident.”

A neighbor had called the sheriff’s office to say that McVay’s son had told her he had just shot his mother, the statement said. McVay also had a 15-year-old daughter, who is staying with relatives, the sheriff’s office said.

McVay was found lying face down on her living room floor.

The boy, who was not identified, is being held in Richland County Juvenile Detention. The boy entered a plea of “denial” at a hearing Monday afternoon, which is similar to “not guilty” in an adult court, according to a representative for the Holmes County Juvenile Court.