A man has been arrested for killing his own wife and daughter, removing their organs and leaving them to rot inside the family home, telling officers that “Jesus” told him to do it.

Cops from the National Police of Paraguay arrested Pablino Gimenez Ledezma, 57, at his home in the neighbourhood of Defensores del Chaco in the Paraguayan city of Pedro Juan Caballero on Tuesday, 2nd November.

The alleged crime was discovered when a neighbour called the fire brigade regarding a bad smell coming from the man’s house.

Firemen arrived on the scene and went inside the residence, despite the man’s attempt to prevent them from entering.

Inside, the firemen found the rotting corpses of mum Patrocinia Romero Olmedo, 48, and daughter Noelia Gimenez Romero, 20, on separate beds.

Forensic pathologist Cesar Gonzalez Haiter said the two had probably died around four months beforehand and he noted that there were no signs of violence on the corpses.

He also reported that their organs were missing.

After arriving on the scene, police officers arrested the suspect, who reportedly confessed to killing his daughter, telling the cops he did it after receiving “a command from Jesus”.

He told the officers his daughter was “possessed” and that her mother killed her before he, in turn, killed his wife.

According to the Public Ministry of Paraguay, the man’s sons aged 22, 17 and 15 also lived in the residence along with their father and the two dead bodies.

The police have not stated whether they think the young man and the two teens participated in the killings. However, they noted that the three had failed to report their dad to the police and also failed to tell them the whereabouts of the missing women.

The women had been reported as missing to the police in August by the prime suspect and his mother-in-law Sotera Olmedo Viuda de Romero.

The man told the police his wife and daughter had gone on a trip to a Spiritist Centre in the city of Ciudad del Este, an eight- to nine-hour drive away, and had failed to return.

Relatives have supported the suspect’s claim that his daughter was possessed of the devil, claiming she spoke in “tongues” and had an abnormal strength that made her impossible to restrain, according to local media outlets including Radio Amambay 570 AM.

The media outlet also reported that locals were afraid of the suspect and tried not to cross paths with him.

The case remains under investigation.