Authorities in Slatina are investigating the discovery of bodies in bags inside a communal grave at the Strehareți cemetery, following statements made by the city’s mayor on September 21, amid an ongoing dispute over the management of the municipal burial grounds.
The investigation centers on the Strehareți cemetery, where officials reportedly uncovered bags containing human remains dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic. Slatina Mayor Mario De Mezzo made the disclosure during a press conference held directly on the grounds after investigators examined the site.
Police officers seized hundreds of bones as part of the ongoing inquiry. According to the city’s administration, the human remains were discovered inside a shared grave mixed with materials originating from multiple other burial sites.
Investigation into Unmarked Bags and Cemetery Management
The police launched a criminal investigation on September 16, focusing on potential desecration of bodies or graves. Investigators are working to determine the precise origin of the bones, who moved them, and the specific conditions under which they were stored. Municipal regulations dictate that such remains must be kept in designated niches rather than deposited in communal graves.
The municipal administration has publicly called on both the county police and the prosecutor’s office to accelerate the inquiry and clarify the circumstances surrounding the storage of the remains. While the mayor maintains that the bags contain undecomposed bodies from the health crisis, those specific claims have not yet received official confirmation from investigators.
Dispute Over the Former Cemetery Operator
The site has been the focal point of an escalating administrative and legal battle. The Strehareți facility was operated for approximately 16 years by a company named Ecumenic Funerar. That previous operator was removed from the property on September 2, with the assistance of a judicial executor following a conflict with the mayor’s office.
Adding further complexity to the situation, Mayor Mario De Mezzo himself became a suspect in August in connection with a legal proceeding regarding attempts to take over the cemetery’s operations. The former operator faces accusations that it relocated bodies into common graves specifically to free up burial plots.
Next Steps and Unresolved Questions
As law enforcement agencies continue to review the physical evidence and interview personnel connected to the facility, the timeline for completing the forensic examination of the recovered bones remains uncertain. Authorities have yet to release definitive conclusions regarding accountability for the relocation of the remains or the operational practices used during the pandemic.
