RAEFORD, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina father is accused of stabbing his infant and toddler daughters to death.

Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin says 30-year-old Tillman Freeman III of Fayetteville is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of 4-day-old Genesis Freeman and 2-year-old Serenity Freeman. Their bodies were found early Saturday near an intersection near Raeford.

Peterkin tells the Fayetteville Observer the children were stabbed multiple times with what appears to be a hunting or survivalist-type knife. He called the crime "horrific."

Before they were found, Freeman was arrested and charged with child abuse and child endangerment. The children were reported missing following a domestic dispute. Freeman's wife was in a local hospital when the children disappeared.

It's not clear whether Freeman has an attorney.