Grave robbers broke into a mausoleum in New Jersey and stole the body of woman who died in 1996.
A woman’s body was stolen from her grave last week, 16 years after she was laid to rest in a New Jersey cemetery.
Police are searching for the people responsible for stealing the body of Pauline Spinelli, who was entombed with five other family members in a mausoleum located in a secluded area of Atlantic City Cemetery in Pleasantville, N.J. She died in 1996 at the age of 98.
“I’m going to miss grandma, even though she’s dead,” Pauline’s grandson, Rocco Spinelli told NBCPhiladelpia.com. “They’re sick people, they’re crazy.”
Police say sometime late Thursday or early Friday of last week, someone removed the lock from the mausoleum, got inside, smashed a heavy marble slab, pried open an aluminum casket, and left with Spinelli’s body.
Cemetery officials discovered the empty coffin around noon on Saturday and alerted police to the theft.
“The glass was broken by some type of means,” Pleasantville Police Capt. Rocky Melendez told NBCPhiladelphia.com. “The person who came here came with the tools necessary to break into that.”
Police have no leads, but they believe several people likely used heavy duty tools to break into the mausoleum and steal Pauline from her final resting place.
Family members say they believe that a cult has something to do with the theft of Pauline’s body.
“What can these people possibly be believing in to take a 16-year-old dead body?” Spinelli said. “I don’t want to see somebody desecrate her body, chop her up or make some kind of voodoo dust out of her.”
Police say they're investigating all possible motives in the case.
Melendez said other areas of the state have dealt with similar incidents before, including in 2006 when police arrested Michael Mastromarino, the CEO of a New Jersey human tissue recovery firm and the head of a body snatching ring. Mastromarino and his employees netted millions of dollars illegally harvesting human bones, organs, tissue and other cadaver parts from more than a thousand individuals awaiting cremation.
Police say they are reaching out to other police departments in New Jersey. There are no security cameras near the Spinelli mausoleum.
“If you’re done with her, bring her back,” Spinelli said. “If anything works in their minds, grandmom’s going to haunt them for the rest of their lives.”
More content from NBCNews.com:


Don't worry the cult has been identified as The Democrat National Party. They will bring her back right after she votes to re-elect obama. Five times
No it is the TEA PARTY needing additional Tea Bags
I like the way you think. Another person sees the truth!
To Proudamericanveteran.... you made my day!!!
Lol! That was funny proudamericanveteran.
But seriously, stealing the 16 year old corpse of a 98 year old woman is really creepy. At the very least they should have left the body and taken the casket. Scrap yards pay a pretty penny for aluminium.
Wow...seriously? Why do I even bother to read comments? If ever there was an article that I thought could not possibly be twisted to be Obama's fault on MSNBC, it was this one. Yet, I was proven wrong again.
But if he would have twisted it toward the republican party you would have no comment to make. Get off your high horse, I don't care what party you are affiliated with that was some funny stuff right there.
Funny, the VAST MAJORITY of election fraud and vote tampering is tied to REPUBLICANS, yet this canard still gets a laugh.
Proud...American...Veteran?
Gee whillikers, I'm a veteran too- and, golly- people have shot at me too.
I'm not proud of the people I had to kill in order to live, but it I chose my life and the lives of those with me over theirs- so I'm here to talk about it, though I'd really rather not.
Not all of us are.
But you and I are different in one very important regard: I'm not trying to use my status as a vet to bolster lies.
I'd be grateful if you'd quit dragging my flag through the mud of your political pigsty.
Your ideas need to have enough validity to stand up for themselves- because a lie told by a vet may gain some credibility- but it does so by impugning the honor of everyone else who fought for our country- at least those still willing to defend it from all enemies- foreign and domestic.
I believe you've embraced dishonor in support of plutocracy- and I'm ashamed both of you and for you.
Wow the truth hit a sore spot there proudamerican veteran
FeO2 Dreams......What a pointless rant!!!! There is medication that can help you.
hey proudamericanveteran- YOU IDIOT.... you think this is somthing to joke about? This is a horrible crazy SICK incident for the family!!!
Not Likely...,
That just means the Democrats are better at hiding it. Now, whether or not that means they are simply better practiced at it, that's open for debate.
The liberals are just upset that they didn't get in first to be able to blame it on Bush.
Sick puppies.
comment collapsed by democrats.....but hysterically funny. Too bad the reality of the situation is soooo sick.
PPP's (Paid Political Posters) can turn ANY story into a politcal discussion.
I'm so sick of spin-doctoring
shes next to the virgin mary grilled cheese sandwich at golden palace .com
"I'm so sick of spin-doctoring"
"President, he sweat through his talcum
News paper man, he watch like a falcon
"Ah, look...daddy-o...sorry, Mr. President...where ya been?"
Use a little english to doctor the spin
What time is it?
Four thirty
It's not late, naw, naw,
Just early, early, early
It's my bread and butter
Ain't got no other
It's on the TV
The spin's on me...
Ayatollah, he's hopping mad
Jibber about some damn jihad
Send me back to old Baghdad
Spin Doctor it's oh so sad"
I had 2 do it. (snicker)
What a fool one must be to take this story and make it political! Find something intelligent to say.
The dead voting? Multiple times? I thought that only happened in Chicago.
There are some low down trash in this world. FeO2Dreams my flag gets drug through sh*t everyday to. It's called racists,hateful,traitorous and that's just a few. I don't listen to it so you shouldn't on yours either. Don't let them drag you down.
It wouldn't be amusing in the slightest if there wasn't so much history behind it. The Democrat party, unfortunately, has used dead people or people off the tax rolls (in alphabetical order) to vote in the past with significant success. Landslide Lyndon and JFK come to mind. Texas and Chicago politics at its finest.
It took George W doing such a lousy job that someone named Barrack Hussein Obama got elected. Now that is a particularly pathetic job. You Tea Baggers and right wingnuts have yourselves to blaim. Nice job.
Actually, I heard it was Republicans that used dead people to vote. But I would NEVER have made that some kind of "amusement" for this article. Anyone who does and actually thinks it's funny needs to seriously look in the mirror. What if it was YOUR grandma who was stolen?
The only "high" horse I know of is Mit's dressage dancing horse!
This post is sooo wrong!
Would you IDIOTS joke about it if it was YOUR grandmother that was taken?
Guess it's time to put up cameras in grave yards ...who'd of ever thought there would ever be a need to ..twisted
It ranks rite up there w/putting up locked gates.
U know how it is when people R dying 2 get in.................
;-)
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME!
Four or five years ago on Long Island the same thing happened. If my memory is correct that incident was also a grandmother, also stolen from a mausoleum, also a name of Italian derivation. I wonder if the families are in any way connected?
Police made a point of mentioning that there were no security cameras there. Does that imply that we now need security cameras at cemeteries? Are we migrating towards a future where security cameras will be everywhere and observe us constantly? I suppose for those remaining wide open spaces, we can rest assured that in the absence of security cameras, the drones will be spying on us. Something to look forward to, eh?
What a sick society and mentality of a person doing something like this:
I remember, once upon a time, when we were still an innocent society, even Churches left the doorunlocked. Now it is so bad, we actually have to lock up our dead? How sick. The Grandson, Rocco, fixed it so they will not rest well themselves. Gramma will get them... She will get her revenge on them..
The STREGA did it. Witchcraft, Maternal line....Yep, that's it. (OR some fool who thinks that they have "POWERS").... WOOOOOOOOO!!! By the way, I am not referring to Liquore Strega.
Shows how sick this world has become.
Yeah, one or two incidents nationwide would justify putting up cameras, gates, armed guards, and maybe even "members only" passes to get into cemeteries. It's a national crisis, to be sure.
@Judd Paynter:
One or two incidents shows how sick "the world" has become?
Did you say "Dismembers Only"?
In Kansas we put fences around Cemetaries. People are dying to get in.
"...to take a 16-year-old dead body?”
Well yea, I guess the clock does start over.
At least it wasn't a 16 year old alive body.
"I'm going to miss grandma, even though she's dead" WTF?
a couple of really weird quotes from this article.
How about the cop that was able to figure the criminals brought the right tools, well duh! they got what they wanted didn't they?
I don't think there are any rules.
Archaeologists dig up bodies all the time - and then put them on display !!
He never got to year 2 of detective school.
“I don’t want to see somebody desecrate her body, chop her up or make some kind of voodoo dust out of her.”
As comical as that quote sounds, it's a valid concern. People are sick and twisted. I doubt the body will be returned, I'm sure all eyes are on this cemetery now and the thieves wouldn't be so stupid as to return to the scene with the body. What a world we live in!
“The glass was broken by some type of means,” Pleasantville Police Capt. Rocky Melendez told NBCPhiladelphia.com. “The person who came here came with the tools necessary to break into that.”
He should work for Scotland Yard.
Also heard coming from Capt Rocky... I pick things up and put them down
Oh, sh*t!! Two thumbs up, TFNJ! ROFLMAO!!
I thought the antique valuation system was based on 25 years. It's only been 16 years, what would be so valuable about a 16 year old dead body.
The value of the body is determined by the one who took it...Genetically speaking they could clone her and bring her back to life like they have done numerous other living things including dinosaurs..then there is the danger of creating deadly viruses from the genetic chain links within her bone marrow. A dead body can be a very dangerous thing. It is why dead bodies are sealed and buried 6 ft deep.
Actually it's a bit more than that. Sealed because of possible ground water contamination. Buried 6 feet deep goes way back, was to prevent (hopefully) animals from digging up the body.
The punisher, Who ever did this, maybe just wanted to date younger women? I Know I'm sick!
These were not just any, fooling around kids. If they can with heavy tools then they targeted this old woman's remains for a specific reason.
What ever the reason they are still sick bastards.
Right. The question is why.
Grandma will haunt these a-holes very soon.
check ebay for Granny bones being sold.
trying to exorcise grandma's ghost?
Where's my Golden Arm.
Or in this case:
Where's my Prosthetic Hip
Zombie tests?
Weekend At Pauline's. That granny is one party animal.
Eeeewwwwww! Gross!
i smell mafia involvement....or a new attraction at Trump's casino
Fredo needed a fishing partner...
These are the first kinds of news stories you see at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. I'm not saying it's beginning, I'm just saying that you would start to see news stories like this at the beginning
Granny Zombies, the worst kind.
..."Zombies"?!?! ...You mean like "Obamanites"?!?! ...Yeeeeeow!!!!!
Dawn of the Dead will be election day 2012, see the dead rise up and vote.
Where's Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes when you need them? "Walker!!"
A Walker using a walker
Really Bill? Were you alive during the last Zombie Apocalypse and it happened like this?
Yes Ryan
Does this have anything to do with Drew Peterson??
LOL...good one jak
...can anyone say Zombie?
Sounds like that Zombie Apocalypse is going to be up and running pretty soon. Better get your guns cleaned and loaded. Remember you can only kill a zombie if you shoot it in the head. They did great detective work on this one, Quote "The glass was broken by some kinds of means". You think? Maybe it was one of the characters from the wolverine series. Using mind over matter to shatter the glass. Either way, they walk among us. If the person with you smells wrotten, get away, get far, far away.
I'd rather have a cross bow. You can reuse the ammo, it's cheaper. In a pinch, you can even make your own.
And, like Carl said, shoot a zombie in the head. Aiming for the knee is for slackers.
What if it was a really, really, really hot zombie chick? Then what?
@Freedom 72
That was a hoot. In the knee. For slackers. Can you imagine the zombie apocalypse, and the dare devil that shoots one in the knee, just to see if it can chase you, then to shoot it in the other knee. Now that wouldn't be slacking, that would be more like a clint eastwood type of challenge. Or maybe Woody Haroldson..........
ACORN recruiting democrat voters I see!
why was this colapsed by the community. It is no worse than some comments. Actually, it does have some factual basis.
What "factual basis"? Be specific.
Dead people voting.
Another good reason to be cremated and scattered.
I can't imagine what use a dead-for-sixteen-years body could be put to. If she was kept for a viewing, funeral homes will embalm the deceased (at least, they embalmed my mother for viewing), and I am unsure what effect that would have on body parts, but surely after 16 years the lady's body was returning to the earth . . . Weird, sick people to snatch her for any reason.
Talk about necrophilia!
I hope the police are able to obtain more information, I am dying to find out why this was done.
BA-DUMP BUMP
I'm morti-fied
Jason, Hope it's pun intended.
" I am dying to find out why this was done." Do you think dying to find out, is wise? You may end up missing, also.
Genetic experimentation or genetically creating deadly viruses. They could make a clone of Grandma.
THE REPUBLICANS, are trying to keep AMERICANS from voting. So much for them, we need a write in canidatate for the PRESIDENT, slot. you have nothing to offer, never have never will at this point. get over it.
um....what?
Lady Jag is off her meds today pay no attention
I agree, I wish there was a candidate, middle of the road, in between MR & BO. Both smell foul.
"In the middle of the road,
You see the darnedest things.
Like fat guys driving around in jeeps through the city,
Wearing big diamond rings and silk suits.
Past corrugated tin shacks full up with kids and
Man I don't mean a Hampstead nursery.
But when you own a big chunk of the bloody third world,
The babies just come with the scenery."
;-)
What value does a dessicated body have?
Sentimental at best...
Creepy story...
U Don't say-3994780, my favorite part is the WOOOO OOO OOOO O
;-)
Governor Crisco had a late night snack binge??
It was the MAFIA
Sonny: "How's Granny?" / Clemenza: "Oh, Granny? You won't see her no more."
Can a dead body actually be stolen? Who owns it? Is it considered someone's property?
If the person's alive we call it kidnapping. If they're dead, it's theft?
Is it Grand Larceny? How much is a dead body worth on the street these days?
It's a moral outrage and a tragedy for the family, but "stolen"??
Grand-ma Larceny.
They paid for the space, and placed their remains there. Only the family has the rights to the space. Theft.
TIMMY THE GEEK;
I'm having a hard time typing this through laughter tears......but my wife thinks you're sick. What the heck does she know.
WTF?!?!?! Who does this crap?
Body Snatchers
TIMMAY!!!
"but my wife thinks you're sick"
She's not wrong but, The Kids of the Internet like him this way.
;-)
First, you have breaking and entering. If they ask for a ransom, then it would also be kidnapping or extortion. They can't be body snatchers, because, after 16 years, there isn't much of a body to snatch. Maybe Granny always wanted to be buried back home in Italy, and a family member didn't want to upset the relatives, so he made it look like a break in, and FedEx'd the bones to Italy.
Proudamericanveteran... you made my day!!
LT actress--if that made your day--you are in BIG trouble. Take your meds!
Why can't politics ever stay the hell out of things? Some dick always has to inject it and cause a flamewar instead of focusing on the article at hand. Losers.
spoken like a true communist, nazi, liberal, right wing fanatic! lol
Jealous that you couldn't come up with a Romney joke huh?
"liberal, right wing fanatic???????" and then you actually LOL?
pathetic!
I'd look at the guy down the street. He probably did it, he's frequently in dead Ernest.
NOTaWAY, to Get aHEAD in LiFe!
DOn'T lose yer HEAD over iT.
Anyone for a game of Cranium?
I want my Mummy!!!
I Dismember Mama. Classic horror movie
You guys all have it wrong.
When I was a teenager, me and a bunch of thug kids that I used to hang out with thought it would be cool to "get a dead body from a grave yard". That is probably the only motivation for this crime. I think people are reading too much into this. It ranks up there with vandalism and other things that dumb bored criminally minded teenagers typically do.
Nauturecchild:
I was like that, too. Sooo, did you guys get your dead body? You didn't say.
Dude, you had some sick, twisted friends.
No Renee someone is actually balls deep in corps guts right around now!
You sure you two had friends? Imaginary friends don't count.