Police arrested an Oceanside man after discovering the body of his 7-year-old daughter in his home Wednesday, according to KTLA sister station KSWB in San Diego.
Pedro Araujo, 27, was taken into custody at the residence on the 3500 block of Las Vegas Drive, the Oceanside Police Department said.
Investigators said Araujo’s mother found him covered in blood when she came to the home to pick up his children.
Araujo allegedly refused to tell his mother where the girl was, prompting her to call authorities.
Officials say they found the 7-year-old’s body in a bathroom with major trauma to the upper body.
Araujo was arrested in the neighborhood near Emerald Isle Golf Course Wednesday afternoon and taken to jail.
A 6-year-old girl who was also in the home was removed by law enforcement and has been placed in her grandmother’s custody.