A Long Island man beheaded his mother and then jumped to his death in front of a commuter train, police said according to WCBS.
The body and head were found in the street by some bystanders who mistook it as a Halloween prank.
The man was identified as Derek Ward, 35, of Farmingdale, New York, a suburb of New York City. His mother was Patricia Ward, 66, a college professor at Farmingdale State College.
At around 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nassau County Police say Derek Ward stabbed his mother, dragged her into the street, and then cut off her head. His body was found on train tracks that serve the Long Island Rail Road.
Police said a motive has not yet been found, but that Derek Ward had a psychiatric condition.
Gavin Stern is a national digital producer for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on twitter at@GavinStern or email him at gavin.stern@scripps.com.
