A pregnant woman was found beheaded just before her baby shower, with police having since charged her ex-boyfriend with the murder.
Liese Dodd was discovered by her horrified mum, who had gone to her daughter's home after not hearing from her for some time and growing concerned.
According to court documents, the 22-year-old's head was discovered in a rubbish bin outside her flat in Illinois, US.
Deundrea Holloway has since been arrested for the 'abominable' killing by police.
The 22-year-old faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of intentional homicide to an unborn child and dismembering a human body, the Mirror reports.
Other offences relate to vehicles, and attempting to hide a homicide death, Illinois news site Riverbender reports.
Illinois police chief Marcos Pulido held up an image of Ms Dodds and said: “She was savagely, savagely killed.”
He added: “It’s beyond reprehensible.”
The suspect, he referred to as a “monster” several times.
Chief Pulido said: “This daughter, this mother-to-be and her family, were in the planning stages of a baby shower that was supposed to be at the end of June but now instead the family is planning a funeral."
The dead woman's baby was expected to be born in late July.
She is understood to have been out with Mr Holloway for around two years on and off and according to Fox 2 News had just moved to the area
The suspect would not identify himself and was restrained by cops, reports say.
Tom Haine, Madison County State’s Attorney said: “We offer our sympathy to the family of Liese Dodd for the profound loss they are suffering.
“We believe the evidence will show that the defendant’s gruesome actions here killed both a young woman and the child she carried.”
Authorities say Holloway beheaded the woman and put her head in a bin.
Heidi Noel, the victim's devastated mum told KMOV : “We were just excited and gathering the items you need to have a baby.
“She wasn’t set on a name yet. [She] said ‘my little bean’. So, we essentially were calling the baby ‘baby bean’.”
The victim had recently moved to Alton, Illionis.
Holloway was arrested in Gillespie, police say and is being held at Alton police department on a £1.7million ($2 million) bond.
Last year The Mirror told of another similar horrific case.
A 77-year-old woman was found decapitated at her home in southern France.
Her head was reportedly found on a table while her body lay beside, a source reportedly said.
Another source within the police force said the case was not being treated as terror-related and hadn't been referred to anti-terror prosecutors.
Her body was found by police after her son grew increasingly concerned when he failed to hear from his mother, who he would talk to every day
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