Foul smell leads family member to 74-year-old killed by his son, Texas cops say

A Texas man is accused of killing his father after the 74-year-old was found disemboweled at a home in El Paso, officials told news outlets.

Jaime Adrian Contreras, 39, was arrested April 12 on a charge of murder, the El Paso Police Department said in a news release. Investigators believe the killing happened a week earlier, on April 5, court records show.

A public defender has been assigned to Contreras, records show. McClatchy News reached out to the El Paso Public Defender’s Office for comment on the case, but didn’t immediately hear back.

His father, Victor Gerardo Contreras, expressed concern to both family and police in the days leading up to his death, KTSM reported.

In an April 5 phone call, he told a family member that his son “was acting crazy again,” just before Jaime Contreras took the phone away from him, according to court documents obtained by the outlet. Jaime Contreras told the family member that his dad was planning to sell his house, and he was upset about it.

However, Victor Contreras called the family member back and told them there was nothing to worry about, the outlet reported.

Similar incidents happened involving police — with the father calling 911, telling dispatch that his son had threatened his life in one instance, and hit him with a hammer in another. But when officers arrived, police said Victor Contreras wouldn’t accuse his son of violence, so no further action was taken, according to the outlet.

Then his family stopped hearing from him. Days passed and they grew worried, KFOX reported. Another son of Victor’s went to the home to check on him, but couldn’t get in as all the doors were locked, officials said.

While walking around the outside of the house, he noticed a strong, foul smell coming from an open window leading to his father’s bedroom, the station reported. He looked inside and found his father dead, with a sheet covering him.

Investigators say there was blood throughout the home, and it seemed like a struggle took place. Victor Contreras had been stabbed, his throat slit and some of his organs removed, the station reported.

Police found Jaime Contreras at Hueco Tanks State Park, roughly 30 miles northeast from El Paso, and arrested him, according to the station. He had driven there in his father’s red Jeep Wrangler, police say, and he had cuts and bruising on his hands due to “battling,” he told officers.

Jaime Contreras was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility, and his bond is set at $2 million, police said.

This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Foul smell leads family member to 74-year-old killed by his son, Texas cops say."