'Something demonic': Man beat 81-year-old father to death, poured wax on his face, wrapped corpse up in a rug, and then stole his pickup, police say

An Indiana antheral is down bars for beating his octogenarian begetter to death, pouring wax connected the victim's face, wrapping the corpse successful a rug, and past stealing his truck, Hoosier State constabulary say.

Bryan Pedigo, 54, stands accused of 1 number each of murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and car theft, according to Marion County tribunal records reviewed by Law&Crime.

The underlying incidents occurred earlier this period astatine a residence connected South Catherwood Avenue, constabulary allege.

On Dec. 11, constabulary began a decease probe based connected a 911 telephone made by a 3rd party, which was itself based connected a telephone the suspect allegedly made himself, according to tribunal documents obtained by Indianapolis-based Fox affiliate WXIN and NBC affiliate WTHR.

Pedigo is said to person called idiosyncratic and admitted to sidesplitting his father, constabulary say. That fatal crippled of telephone yet led investigators to the residence successful question. But astatine first, responding officers recovered each the doors locked, nary 1 home, and left.

Then came different telephone call.

This time, a witnesser said they had visited the eastbound broadside residence and, looking done a window, saw a quality assemblage wrapped up successful a rug connected the surviving country floor, according to the charging document.

So, the officers went backmost to the house, looked done the model themselves, and confirmed the horrible find, describing the wrapped-up unfortunate arsenic a deceased antheral "with injuries accordant with trauma."

That man, said to person been encased successful a white-gray patterned rug, was John Lloyd Pedigo, 81, the defendant's father.

But determination was besides idiosyncratic live successful the house.

Police recovered a pistillate successful a recliner "who appeared unresponsive" but was simply "dazed and confused" and suffering bleeding and bruising passim her body, according to the charging document.

The woman, Olanna Pedigo, 79, the defendant's mother, was taken to Eskenazi Hospital and treated for a encephalon bleed, according to tribunal documents obtained by Indianapolis-based The CW affiliate WISH.

Initially, Olanna Pedigo said she had nary recollection of the unit that transpired wrong the family's residence, constabulary said. But, during a aboriginal interrogation with detectives, she said: "I wonderment if my lad had thing to bash with this," according to the charging document.

After executing a hunt warrant astatine the residence, a detective determined a "physical struggle" apt led to the older man's death. Notably, investigators recovered humor and candle wax each implicit the home.

On further inspection, the deceased victim's assemblage appeared to person ligature marks connected his cervix and wax poured implicit his face, according to the charging document. Next to the dormant man's body, investigators recovered different rug containing bloody covering and an artificial tree.

After an autopsy, the Marion County aesculapian examiner determined John Pedigo died from aggregate blunt unit traumas.

The ensuing probe led authorities to enactment that John Pedigo's grey 2006 Ford F-150 was missing. Through the usage of licence sheet cameras, the motortruck was tracked down and located astatine a postulation halt connected State Road 57 adjacent a motorsports parkland successful Greene County, immoderate 90 miles southwest of Indianapolis.

There, the suspect was taken into custody and detained astatine the Criminal Justice Campus successful Indianapolis.

During a custodial interrogation with detectives, Bryan Pedigo shifted his communicative of events respective times, authorities said.

First, helium claimed helium was driving his father's conveyance with his mother's permission, constabulary said. The suspect said helium had been released from jailhouse connected Dec. 10 and went to sojourn his parents, past went to a edifice with a friend, but returned to find a "huge mess" and a "bloodbath."

Later, however, the suspect allegedly said his begetter was live and his parent was not injured erstwhile helium got backmost from the edifice – but that erstwhile helium left, helium recovered the carnage. Pressed arsenic to wherefore helium did not telephone an ambulance successful this mentation of the story, Bryan Pedigo allegedly said determination was "something demonic" contiguous successful the house.

Next, the suspect claimed his household has a past of unit and that helium consumed "a batch of alcohol" connected the time successful question, which caused him to achromatic retired and not retrieve what happened, constabulary said.

Finally, Bryan Pedigo admitted work for his father's decease portion declining to elaborate connected the "exact details" of the slaying, according to the charging document.

The probe besides led detectives backmost to the archetypal 911 caller, who was revealed to beryllium a person of the defendant.

The caller said Bryan Pedigo had called her to explicit remorse for doing thing "really bad" and, erstwhile prompted, confessed to beating his begetter to death, according to the charging document. The suspect besides allegedly told his person helium wanted to enactment his father's dormant assemblage successful the fireplace – but that the corpse would not fit.

Bryan Pedigo is detained successful the Marion County Jail with nary bond.

A pretrial proceeding successful his lawsuit is scheduled for March 4, 2026; the suspect is slated to spell connected proceedings by assemblage connected March 9, 2026.