An Arizona man was arrested and accused of murdering his father and then hiding the body in a structure next to the family home, in a case that came to light thanks to information provided by a witness to a State Patrol agent.

The El Mirage Police Department identified the suspect as Michael Rodriguez, 48, who faces charges of second-degree murder, abandonment or concealment of a corpse and violation of probation.

The victim was identified as Salvador Ortiz Rivera Jr., whose age has not been revealed by authorities.

The events occurred in a home located on North Luna Street, in El Mirage, a city located about 40 kilometers northwest of Phoenix.

A witness alerted the authorities

According to court documents, a State Patrol agent received information on Wednesday from a man he met at a QuikTrip gas station.

The witness reported that Rodriguez had told him to go to Rivera's home and take any belongings he wanted. However, when he arrived at the place he found the owner dead, so he decided not to take anything.

Later, according to the investigation, Rodriguez returned accompanied by another man to his father's house with the aim of recovering the deceased's wallet, since he supposedly had $5,000 dollars in a bank account.

The witness stated that he could not remove the wallet from the body and later decided to inform the authorities about what happened.

The body was found hidden under a sheet of wood

When the agents went to the home, they located the body in a state of decomposition within an area used to repair vehicles.

According to police, the body was hidden under a sheet of plywood covering a concrete pit in an open garage-like structure.

Investigators also noted that the victim had a plastic bag over his head and had marks consistent with strangulation.

The witness told detectives that the last time he saw Rivera alive was between the previous Saturday and Sunday.

The suspect said he “lost control”

Subsequently, the agents went to Michael Rodriguez's home, located a few blocks from the scene.

During interrogation, the accused acknowledged that he had conflicts with his father and stated that they both argued before the death.

According to court documents, Rodriguez stated that his father “drank all the time” and that during the argument he called him “crazy,” at which point he claimed to have “lost control.”

The man stated that after the confrontation he suffered a mental blackout and that, upon regaining consciousness, he found his father dead.

According to police, he also admitted to hitting the victim in the head with a metal bar and discarding both the gun and the shoes he was wearing during the incident.

He will remain detained on a $2 million bail.

Rodriguez remains held in the Maricopa County Jail, where bail was set at $2 million.

During his court appearance, the accused assured that he did not regret what happened and launched accusations against his father.

"Do you know who my dad was? The Family. That's what he was. He was a bad man. I had to stop him," he declared in court, according to case records.

Authorities have not confirmed claims made by the accused about the victim's alleged ties to criminal organizations. The investigation continues.