John Bell Austin Sr., 83, was found dead from gunshot wounds in the back of his house on Riverview Road in Madison Heights, Virginia, on October 1, 2019. Deputies from Amherst County responded that Tuesday afternoon and discovered his body at the residence.

Investigators say the probe quickly focused on a family member after 47-year-old son Chris Austin reportedly went to a neighbor’s home and confessed to the shooting; he was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and held without bail. Because the victim and the accused were related, the matter was placed in Juvenile and Domestic Courts. Search warrants and the motive remained under investigation and sealed to the public.

John Austin was remembered by family as a devoted father, grandfather and brother and an active member of St. Paul Baptist Church who enjoyed hunting and fishing.