Pennsylvania saw a Lebanon County man who allegedly failed to report the death of his wife and continued to live with her corpse for at least a month, as Law & Crime reported.
Michael Mikula, 68, lived with his wife, Sharlene Mikula, 66, in South Londonderry Township, Pa.
As reported by WGAL, a statement from the district attorney’s office read, “Evidence indicates that Michael Mikula had been residing inside the home for at least one month after Sharlene died, was aware of her passing, and had taken measures to conceal it.”
NEW DETAILS: A woman was likely dead for a month before her body was discovered in a Lebanon County home and her husband arrested, the district attorney’s office says. https://t.co/mWXUzFddNq
— CBS 21 News (@CBS21NEWS) April 20, 2026
It added, “At this time, there is no evidence to indicate Michael Mikula sought medical treatment for Sharlene nor did he attempt to notify authorities of her passing.”
Michael has been charged with multiple crimes, including abuse of a corpse, neglect of the care of a dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, and tampering with evidence.
According to Law & Crime, officers arrived to conduct a well-being check on Sharlene. When they asked Michael about her, he said, “She was not home.”
However, after the officers were allowed inside the house, they found Sharlene’s body “in an advanced state of decomposition.” An autopsy has been ordered, but the results may take up to three months.
The decomposed state of Sharlene’s body has reportedly complicated the forensic examination.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Michael told the officers that his wife had “been gone for a long time.”
Her family had requested well-being checks previously, the most recent of which was in February. They also let the officers know that Sharlene was suffering from mental health conditions, and she was admitted to the Lancaster Behavioral Health hospital in May 2025.
Her medical records say she had depression and noted that she lost over 100 pounds in one year. She also had a “lack of energy.”
Michael told the officers he tried to feed her at least one meal a day, but she reportedly lacked an appetite. After that, he said that he found her dead one morning, and she had begun to show signs of decomposition about a week earlier.
According to charging documents, Michael Mikula said he would use shovels to move his deceased wife’s body around the home.
He is charged with neglect of a care-dependent person and abuse of a corpse.https://t.co/mWXUzFddNq
— CBS 21 News (@CBS21NEWS) April 20, 2026
As reported by PennLive, their house had already been auctioned at a sheriff’s sale the day the police arrived after the bank foreclosed on their mortgage. A neighbor even told WGAL that when the new owners came, they smelled something foul.
Following that, they called for a well-being check. The neighbor also stated, “We just moved in here in November, and we know nothing other than just seeing individuals walking through the house, shadows actually…But I’ve never seen them personally.”
As reported by ABC27 News, Michael was sent to the Lebanon County Correctional Facility on a $100,000 bail.
