Police in the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa have arrested a 19-year-old suspect for allegedly murdering his own mother and six-year-old brother.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Phan Van Cuong, chief of staff of the provincial police department, confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday they had apprehended Nguyen Vo Ngoc Bao for “murder and robbery.”

Bao is the prime suspect in the death of his mother, V.T.K.H., 47, and younger brother, N.V.C.T., Sen. Lt. Col. Cuong stated.

According to preliminary information, Bao’s father discovered the bodies of his wife and youngest son as he returned home after work on Saturday evening.

The victims suffered multiple slash wounds to their heads and necks.

The family live in a house in Tan Thanh Village, Cam Thanh Bac Commune, Cam Lam District.

Upon examining the scene and collecting statements, police identified Bao, who was nowhere to be seen when the bodies were discovered, as the main suspect.

Officers also believed he had committed the crime when he was high on drugs.

According to online newspaper VnExpress, Bao admitted to police officers he had consumed a large amount of synthetic cannabinoids on Saturday morning.

The young man became hallucinated and slashed his younger brother to death with a machete. He went on to kill his mother after she had just returned home from the market.

Bao took some jewelry, a cellphone, some cash, and a motorbike before running away, a police officer told Tuoi Tre.

He was nabbed in Ninh Thuan Province, about 80 kilometers away from his home in Khanh Hoa, at first light on Sunday, the officer added.

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