The remains of a Canadian man were found in a vacation rental north of Puerto Vallarta alongside his 5-year-old son who was crying and in shock while lying next to his father’s decomposing body. The body was found in the Vilanova subdivision in Jarretaderas, Nayarit.

The man, 44-year-old John Poulson, was found by his neighbor, also Canadian, who was contacted by Poulson’s ex-wife when she couldn’t get in touch with him by telephone from her home in Canada. According to reports, Poulson hadn’t been seen since August 7.

A terrible smell greeted the neighbor who went to the home to inquire. Inside, he found the air conditioning running, the lights off and Poulson’s body in his bedroom, his young son lying beside him.

Authorities said the body was in an advanced state of decomposition. Officials have not announced an official cause of death. The boy is now in the care of the neighbor while authorities await his mother who was traveling to Mexico from Canada to collect him.

With reports from Noticias PV and Tribuna de la Bahía