More remains from 1985 MOVE bombing uncovered at Penn Museum, believed to belong to 12-year-old Delisha Africa
Penn Museum says staff have discovered another set of human remains believed to belong to 12-year-old Delisha Africa, one of the victims of the 1985 MOVE bombing in West Philadelphia. The remains were discovered during an inventory review of the museum's Biological Anthropology Section, according to the museum.
The remains are believed to belong to Delisha Africa, 12, who was among the five children and six adults killed in the Philadelphia Police bombing of the MOVE compound on Osage Avenue.
A Penn Museum spokesperson said in a statement:
"In 2021, as all known remains from the 1985 MOVE tragedy were returned to the Africa family, the Penn Museum apologized to our community and committed to a rigorous reassessment of institutional practices. This included a comprehensive inventory of our Biological Anthropology Section, and a promise to investigate any new information that emerged.
"This work has led to uncovering another set of MOVE remains, and this information has been communicated to the Africa family.
"Confronting our institutional history requires ever-evolving examination of how we can uphold museum practices to the highest ethical standards. Centering human dignity and the wishes of descendant communities govern the current treatment of human remains in the Penn Museum's care."
More details of the finding of the remains can be found on the museum's website.
The discovery marks another chapter in the longstanding saga surrounding handling of the remains from the 1985 MOVE tragedy.
Penn Museum and Princeton University were previously in possession of another set of remains that were used in classroom settings. The museum apologized to the Africa family and the public in 2021.
