Alleged ‘Machete Man’ Serial Killer Who Preyed on Homeless Arrested at House Filled With Body Parts By Lesley Cosme Torres

Police in Argentina have arrested an alleged serial killer who they claim lured homeless people into his house, killed them and dismembered their bodies. 

Authorities say there were approximately five murders that always took place on Fridays, CBS News reported.

The suspect, 37, has been dubbed the “machete man” by local media outlets – he was arrested after police raided his home and found “bones, blood, pieces of skin and even a nose,” CBS reported, citing Attorney General Sergio Lello Sanchez.

During the police raid, authorities encountered the man’s 16-year-old nephew, per Lello Sanchez. The nephew allegedly told authorities that his uncle would go out on Fridays and return with different people each night, most of them either homeless or elderly. 

The nephew told authorities that his uncle would, “beat them, kill them, cut their bodies, burn them, and take them out in garbage bags.” a case prosecutor told A24 news channel.

The outlet identified the man as Matías Jurado, a local resident whom neighbors said allegedly threatened people with machetes, set fires, carried suspicious bags and rolled around wheelbarrows at night. Jurado insists he is innocent, per CBS.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 

A24 reported that even though local residents referred to Jurado as “the machete man,” they never suspected him to be a murderer. Police started their investigation after five people went missing from the same bus stop in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy, the outlet reported, citing authorities. 

Jurado was charged with aggravated homicide and put in pre-trial detention for four months pending the investigation, CBS reported, citing Lello Sanchez.