No Bones About It: Thieves May be Looking for More Skeletons

WORCESTER, MA - More skeletal remains may have been stolen from a Worcester, MA, cemetery than initially thought.

Worcester police detectives now believe a second mausoleum may have been “compromised,” and it was discovered that possibly three more skeletal remains were missing from this second mausoleum.

Amador Medina, 32, was initially charged for allegedly stealing the skeletal remains of five bodes out of a mausoleum at Hope Cemetery in Worcester and was transported from his Hartford, CT, home on Monday to face charges in Worcesetr.

Medina is being referred to as a Santeria priest, and agreed to head to Massachusetts to face charges that he stole the remains months ago from Hope Cemetery,reported WCVB.

Authorities say Medina told them he was a Santeria priest and stole the bones for healing and religious ceremonies. Worcester police told WCVB that they rarely see Santeria in the area.

The remains were those of three adults and two children, and Medina allegedly took them to his Hartford home, reported CBS Local.

He has been charged with five counts of disinterment of bodies, accessory before the fact and conspiracy to commit a crime. Medina now may face more charges with this additional information.

“Investigators have been conducting a citywide check of all mausoleums and they are thoroughly inspecting them to make sure that no others have been broken into,” said Worcester Police Chief Gary J. Gemme in a statement. ”The investigators have nearly completed this process and they have not made any additional discoveries at this time.”

Gemme said police did not want to release the information on the original break and theft because of concerns that the widespread media attention would prohibit the investigation.

“We know from the physical evidence and our investigation that the people who committed this crime were very cautious in their planning,” said Chief Gemme. ”Our belief is that the initial break occurred well before the theft.”

Investigators believe that the locks on the mausoleum were cut in May, but that the theft didn’t happen until sometime in September. The initial breach, they said, was made in a way that was not plainly visible.

“Evidence obtained through the course of our investigation led us to believe that there was a second theft from a mausoleum at Hope Cemetery,” he said. “In both thefts, the initial break was very discrete and barely perceptible.”

Investigators believe that Medina did not act alone and there “appear to be individuals in the area who are actively seeking human remains for religious or other purposes. We are in the process of notifying law enforcement agencies to contact cemeteries in their jurisdiction and encourage inspections.”