COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — A 49-year-old man was in custody facing a preliminary murder charge following the death of an 89-year-old landlord, Columbus Police Department said Wednesday.

Officers responded at 8:36 p.m. Tuesday to a welfare check request at a duplex in the 1400 block of Pearl Street.

Upon arrival, police spoke with Rudy Minton, a resident of the duplex. Inside the home, officers found the body of Jerrell “Jerry” McCullough, identified by the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office, with apparent blunt force trauma.

Minton was detained, and the area was secured for investigation. Detectives and crime scene personnel processed the scene into the early morning hours.

The cause and manner of McCullough’s death remain under investigation pending a forensic autopsy.

Minton was being held without bond at the Bartholomew County jail.

Authorities asked anyone with information to contact the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600.