After being arrested Dec. 4 in Connecticut as a fugitive from Massachusetts, Amador Medina, a self-professed Santeria priese, cooperated with police who had earlier found five sets of human remains in his Hartford, Conn., home, reported CBS. The grisly grave robbery took place in Worcester, Mass.
Medina was arrested on a warrant from the Worcester police for five counts of disinterment of bodies, conspiracy to commit a crime, and accessory before the fact (breaking and entering with the intent to commit a felony), reported CBS Local.
Medina told the police that he is a Santeria priest and that he needed the bones for religious purposes, for ceremonies and healing. He was cooperative and showed the authorities where to find the remains in his home.
According to police, Medina stole the remains from the Houghton mausoleum in Worcester's Hope Cemetery, which reported a break-in two months ago. The heavy chain that secured the mausoleum doors had been found cut, reported The Hartford Courant. The remains belonged to the bodies of three adults and two children that were buried some time between 1900 and 1970, reported The New York Daily News. At least one of the remains was still clothed.
