Authorities in South Dakota have dropped local charges against a California man who they say was arrested with his mother's body found in the vehicle he was driving.

The Capital Journal reports the procedural move by prosecutors clears the way for 30-year-old Tosten Walsh Lommen to be returned to California to face a murder charge in that state.

Authorities allege Lommen killed his mother, 58-year-old Michelle Walsh, sometime around Dec. 30 while the two were living in her home in Palm Springs, California.

Lommen was arrested on New Year's Day on suspicion of drunk driving and eluding police following a chase on Interstate 90 in South Dakota. Authorities say they found his mother's body wrapped in a blanket in the back seat.