The Stolen Grave of Paula Ream
Episode 185
Paula Ream
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On August 7th, 1962, nine year old Paula Ream passed away following complications from Cerebral Palsy. Her mother, father and three sisters were devasted by her death and struggled to make it through their grief and pain. On a quiet afternoon, the child was laid to rest beneath a simple stone in Riverside Burial Park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. There she remained for forty-eight years. Then the unthinkable happened.
In early August of 2010, long after Paula's parents had been laid to rest beside her, an unknown figure crept into the cemetery. Under the cover of darkness, they broke through the earth, cracked open the vault and stole the small casket containing Paula's remains. Despite the shocking and grisly nature of the crime, investigators had few leads to follow.
Originally thought to have been a gruesome prank pulled off by teenagers on Friday the 13th, the investigation would soon point towards practitioners of a ritualistic religion; perhaps voodoo or Palo Mayombe. Despite their efforts to identify the perpetrator and recover Paula's remains, the case quickly grew cold and more than a decade later the answers remain undiscovered.
Sources:
Paula Ream (1953-1962) - Find A Grave Memorial
Year later, grave theft mystifies | News | lancasteronline.com
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07 Aug 1962, 21 - Lancaster New Era at Newspapers.com
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15 Aug 2010, 6 - Sunday News at Newspapers.com
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26 Aug 2010, 8 - Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era at Newspapers.com
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02 Nov 2010, 17 - The Sentinel at Newspapers.com
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Clearfield Progress, Aug 16, 2010, p. 14 | NewspaperArchive
Body of 9-Year-Old Girl Exhumed, Stolen from Grave Site - ABC News
Paula Ream: cops need your help - Defrosting Cold Cases
What's going on: Grave robbers take body of 9-year-old buried in 1962 - syracuse.com
Grave robbers steal Pa. girl's remains - UPI.com
Cult Blamed for Cemetery Vandalism, Theft of Body | Lancaster Cemeteries
A missing (dead) child – The Charley Project Blog
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29 Sep 2011, Page 8 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at Newspapers.com
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Another Child's Body Stolen from Pennsylvania Cemetery. Why?, page 1
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