Authorities in Brown County have arrested a man on suspicion of neglect after his wife was found dead in their home.

The Sheriff's Office received a 911 call Thursday morning reporting a dead person inside a residence in Searles, Minn., which is about 15 miles south of New Ulm.

When deputies arrived at the residence on the 18000 block of Sperl Avenue, they were greeted by a 56-year-old man who said his wife was dead inside. Investigators found the body of Debra Lynn Johnson, 69.

"The Brown County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated the scene as what is being considered a suspicious death," a news release from the Sheriff's Office said.

Johnson's body was sent to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office, where an autopsy will be done, authorities said.

On Friday, the man remained in the Brown County jail, where he was being held pending charges of criminal neglect. The Star Tribune generally does not name suspects unless they are charged.