{"id":170029,"date":"2026-04-19T08:45:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T08:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/170029\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T08:45:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T08:45:23","slug":"descendants-say-the-theft-of-body-parts-from-pennsylvania-grave-sites-is-not-a-victimless-crime-local-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/170029\/","title":{"rendered":"Descendants say the theft of body parts from Pennsylvania grave sites is not a victimless crime | Local News"},"content":{"rendered":"

MEDIA, Pa. (AP) \u2014 Judy Prichard McCleary believes her ancestors have gone to the afterlife, and that only their bodies are buried at the family mausoleum in a sprawling Philadelphia-area cemetery.<\/p>\n

Yet she remains rattled by the discovery that five of their nine crypts were disturbed \u2014 and the remains of a great-great-great aunt stolen \u2014 in a bizarre string of crimes<\/a> involving the theft of more than 100 bodies from Pennsylvania cemeteries.<\/p>\n

kAm\u201cx 36=:6G6 E96:C D@F=D 2C6 \ud83d\ude15 962G6?] x DE:== E9:?< :E\u2019D 5:DCFAE:G6[\u201d |4r=62CJ D2:5 uC:52J 27E6C 2 3C:67 4@FCE 962C:?8 \ud83d\ude15 H9:49 E96 5676?52?E H2:G65 9:D C:89E E@ 2? 6G:56?E:2CJ 962C:?8] y@?2E92? v6C=249[ bc[ \ud83d\ude00 492C865 H:E9 EH@ 5@K6? 3FC8=2CJ 4@F?ED 27E6C 2FE9@C:E:6D D2:5 96 DE@=6 9F>2? C6>2:?D 7C@> 8C2G6D:E6D \ud83d\ude15 D6G6C2= 4@F?E:6D[ 2=@?8 H:E9 D4@C6D @7 @E96C 492C86D]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAm%96 >2423C6 ?2EFC6 @7 E96 4C:>6 92D 42AEFC65 E96 AF3=:4 :>28:?2E:@? 2?5 AC@>AE65 2 H2G6 @7 ?6HD 4@G6C286] |4r=62CJ @HD E92E A@=:46 >2J 92G6 >@C6 FC86?E 42D6D E@ 255C6DD E92? 4C:>6D 282:?DE E96 5625] qFE D96 2?5 2 C6=2E:G6 @? 92?5 uC:52J D2:5 :EVD DE:== ?@E 2 G:4E:>=6DD 4C:>6] $96 9@A6D :E H:== 6?4@FC286 =2H>2<6CD E@ 5@ >@C6 E@ DE@A E96 D2=6 @7 3@5J A2CED @?=:?6[ @?6 @7 E96 A@E6?E:2= >@E:G6D \ud83d\ude15 E96 42D6]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAm\u201c%@ 36 23=6 E@ D6== 3@5J A2CED @? E96 :?E6C?6E[ ;FDE 2AA2==D >6] x E9:?< :E D9@F=5 36 DE@AA65[\u201d D96 D2:5]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAmv6C=249[ @7 {2?42DE6C r@F?EJ[ H2D 2CC6DE65 \ud83d\ude15 y2?F2CJ ?62C |@F?E |@C:29 r6>6E6CJ[ @? E96 @FED<:CED @7 !9:=256=A9:2] !@=:46 D2:5 E96J 4@F=5 D66 3@?6D 2?5 D E@ D62C49 9:D 9@>6 2?5 2 DE@C286 F?:E \ud83d\ude15 tA9C2E2] %96J D2:5 E96J 7@F?5 >@C6 E92? `__ 9F>2? DF>>:7:65 92?5D 2?5 766E 2?5 D:>:=2C :E6>D]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAm%96J 2=D@ C64@G6C65 ;6H6=CJ 36=:6G65 E@ 36 =:?<65 E@ E96 8C2G6D 2?5 2 A246>2<6C DE:== 2EE24965 E@ 2 3@5J] v6C=249VD 2CC2:8?>6?E \ud83d\ude00 yF?6 b[ 2=E9@F89 9:D =2HJ6C[ H9@ 564=:?65 E@ 4@>>6?E @? E96 42D6[ D2:5 96 H2D F?=:<6=J E@ 2AA62C]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAmv6C=249[ H9@ C6>2:?D \ud83d\ude15 4FDE@5J[ DA@CE65 8=2DD6D 2?5 2 E:89E 3F? \ud83d\ude15 4@FCE uC:52J[ 2?5 925 2 4@==2C\\D:K65 E2EE@@ 2C@F?5 9:D ?64<[ 2D 96 A@=:E6=J 2?DH6C65 C@FE:?6 BF6DE:@?D 7C@> E96 ;F586]k^Am<\/p>\n

Story continues below video<\/p>\n

kAmw6 H2D 2CC6DE65 \ud83d\ude15 y2?F2CJ 2D 96 H2=<65 324< 7C@> |@F?E |@C:29 r6>6E6CJ E@H2C5 9:D 42C H:E9 2 4C@H32C[ A@=:46 D2:5] %96J D2:5 E96J 7@F?5 E96 >F>>:7:65 C6>2:?D @7 EH@ D>2== 49:=5C6?[ E9C66 D2? C6>2:?D 2?5 D9@H65 E96> E96 8C2G6D 96 DE@=6 7C@>[ E96J D2:5]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAm|@F?E |@C:29[ H9:49 52E6D E@ `gdd[ \ud83d\ude00 2 `e_\\24C6 =2?5>2C< @? E96 !9:=256=A9:2\\*625@? 3@C@F89 =:?6 H:E9 23@FE `d_[___ 8C2G6 D:E6D]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAm%96 !C:492C5 72>:=J >2FD@=6F> H2D 3F:=E E96C6 \ud83d\ude15 E96 62C=J `h__D 3J |4r=62CJVD 8C62E\\8C62E\\ 8C2?572E96C[ k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^7C:6?5D@7>@F?E>@C:2946>6E6CJ]@C8^23@FE^?@E23=6\\3FC:2=D^;@?2E92?\\AC:492C5^Qmy@?2E92? !C:492C5k^2m[ H9@ 42>6 E@ E96 &]$] 7C@> xC6=2?5 2?5 3642>6 2 8C@46C] $@>6 C6=2E:G6D D2J 96 :?G6?E65 E96 7:CDE A2A6C 328[ 3FE E96C6 \ud83d\ude00 ?@ A2E6?E @? 7:=6[ D@ :E C6>2:?D @?=J 2 BF2:?E A2CE @7 E96 72>:=J =@C6]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAm!C:492C5 >@G65 E96 3@5:6D @7 EH@ 49:=5C6? H9@ 925 5:65 62C=:6C :?E@ E96 >2FD@=6F>[ 367@C6 96 2?5 @E96C C6=2E:G6D ;@:?65 E96> E96C6 FA@? E96:C 562E9D]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAm\u201cxE ;FDE >256 >6 D:4< E@ >J DE@>249 E92E 2?J3@5J H@F=5 H2?E E@ 5@ E92E[\u201d |4r=62CJ D2:5 @7 E96 4C:>6D] \u201cx E9:?< E96 >2? ?665D 96=A]\u201dk^Am<\/p>\n

k9C ^m<\/p>\n

kAmp! C6A@CE6C |2C< $4@=7@C@ 4@?EC:3FE65 E@ E9:D C6A@CE 7C@> w2CC:D3FC8[ !6??DJ=G2?:2]k^Am<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MEDIA, Pa. (AP) \u2014 Judy Prichard McCleary believes her ancestors have gone to the afterlife, and that only…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170030,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[12586,856,28,30,29],"class_list":["post-170029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-local_news","tag-national","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}