UPDATED: Police offered little in terms of explanation as to why a 91-year-old Wyalusing Township woman kept the bodies of her deceased husband and twin sister in her home.
During a press conference this afternoon in Towanda, state police said they interviewed the woman, Jean Stevens, but declined to say what she told them regarding the bodies of her husband, James Stevens, and sister, June.
James Stevens died in 1999 and police believe his body was removed from his grave shortly after he was buried in Lime Hill Cemetery in Wyalusing, not far from the Stevens’ home. His body was in a garage at the property rolled up in a rug.
June Stevens, who lived in West Hartford, Conn., died Oct. 3, 2009, and was initially buried on the Stevens’ property in Bradford County. Her body was found in spare bedroom inside the Stevens home.
Both bodies are now in the care of the Bradford County Coroner but it was unclear at the press conference what will happen to them next.
Jean Stevens is not charged with any crimes, state police said.
Officials at the press conference noted that suspects dug up the bodies on Jean Stevens’ behalf, but that part of the investigation is ongoing. They may face misdemeanor charges or summary violations.
The mummified remains were discovered Tuesday after police conducted a search of the property.
According to court documents filed in Pennsylvania, two workers from the Area Agency on Aging contacted state police to report that Jean Stevens’ home contained the body of her husband and sister.
Jean Stevens showed the workers the body of her sister and told them her husband’s body was rolled up in a rug on the premises, according to the document.
The agency workers told state police that “Mrs. Stevens is in control of her mental faculties (other than her acts of keeping the bodies in her home).”
Jean Stevens told the workers that received help to disinter her husband’s body from an unnamed cemetery years ago. She said she retrieved her sister’s body from its grave shortly after burial in October 2009.
State police in Towanda said the remains of two people were found at a house on Old Stagecoach Road at about 3 p.m. Tuesday following the execution of a search warrant.
District Attorney Dan Barrett said Wednesday his office is not involved in a criminal homicide investigation. He declined to answer other questions.
Woman kept dead husband, sister in home | pressconnects.com | Press & Sun-Bulletin
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