A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after abandoning his deceased son in a filthy Arizona mobile home for two days without seeking help.
Police discovered 9-year-old Theodore Antonsen’s decomposing body on a couch surrounded by trash, soiled diapers, and jugs filled with what appeared to be urine. His father, Joseph Gregory Antonsen, failed to call for emergency assistance when Theodore’s heart stopped in July 2024.
Instead of getting help, the 39-year-old father left the boy in the sweltering heat of their home in Picture Rocks, Arizona—about 30 miles from Tucson—for two days. When police were finally called on July 14, Antonsen told officers that Theodore had been sick, shaking, and later became limp and unresponsive. He admitted to checking for a pulse but claimed he couldn’t find one—then simply walked away.
He told police he knew he should have called authorities but offered no explanation for why he didn’t. When he returned on July 14, he finally contacted law enforcement.
Officers arrived to find unbearable conditions inside the home, with temperatures ranging from 103 to 113 degrees and no air conditioning. Theodore’s body was found upright on the couch surrounded by garbage. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office reported piles of soiled diapers, rotten food, urine-filled bottles, and empty beer cans throughout the house, along with insect infestations and dangerous spiders like black widows and brown recluses. The home also had no running water or functioning toilets.
The autopsy revealed no clear signs of illness or injury contributing to Theodore’s death, though decomposition made it difficult to determine an exact cause. There were clear signs of insect activity on his body.
Timeline of Events:
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July 12, 2024: Theodore becomes sick and dies. Joseph Antonsen leaves the home.
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July 14, 2024: Joseph returns and calls police, who discover the child’s decomposed body.
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July 25, 2024: Antonsen is indicted for two counts of child abuse and manslaughter.
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September 4, 2024: Authorities determine Theodore’s death resulted from abuse or neglect.
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May 2025: Antonsen pleads guilty to two amended child abuse charges.
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July 25, 2025: He is sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by 20 years of probation.
While the extreme heat didn’t directly cause the child’s death, the overall living conditions were deemed inhumane. In court, it was revealed that Antonsen struggled with addiction and untreated mental health issues. He pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse, including one count where he knowingly risked causing death.
Judge Kimberly Ortiz told him that the real punishment was knowing he contributed to his son’s tragic death. “You knew he needed help and, despite having support from your parents—both financially and emotionally—you couldn’t change your behavior or the destruction around your child,” she said.
Authorities still don’t know where Antonsen was or what he was doing during the two days he left his son’s body in the home.
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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