MIAMI – A Miami man accused of prying open a casket and removing the remains of a deceased person was arrested Wednesday after fingerprints examined at the scene matched his, police said.
Pedro Gonzalez, 39, was arrested on charges of burglary, disturbing contents of a tomb/grave and destroying or disfiguring a tomb/monument.
According to an arrest report, employees at the Charlotte Jane Memorial Park Cemetery in Coconut Grove called police June 25 after they discovered that the casket had been tampered with.
Police said a funeral home owner told detectives that he had replaced the vault after the victim's grave was vandalized last Dec. 14. The owner said the tomb was replaced and the casket was placed in a new vault.
The owner of the funeral home and the groundskeeper at the cemetery both said they did not know Gonzalez, police said.
According to the report, detectives notified the next of kin of the deceased, who also said that she did not know Gonzalez.
A motive for the crime is unclear.
Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10