Newly Found Human Remains from 1985 MOVE Bombing Discovered at Penn Museum

The long-lost remains of a child killed in Philadelphia’s 1985 MOVE bombing have been discovered at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Museum.

The discovery was made during an inventory to prepare artifacts for storage. Experts believe the remains are those of Delisha Africa, aged 12 at the time.

A harrowing mark on the city’s police record, the events of 1985 saw the force use a helicopter to drop an explosive on the headquarters of MOVE, a Black liberation group in West Philadelphia. The bombing ignited a fire that destroyed more than 60 homes, killing 11 people in total.

Africa was one of five children who died as a result.

Despite “repeated assurances” that all remains from the bombing had been returned to families, this revelation has cast doubt on promises made to the local community.

A Response From Penn Museum

Despite the massive loss of life, no criminal charges were filed against city officials.

In 1986, a commission report condemned the bombing as “unconscionable,” and MOVE survivors were awarded $1.5 million in a 1996 settlement with the city. Further displaced residents received support even later––a civil suit in 2005 awarded the community $12.83 million in damages in a jury trial.

According to the Penn Museum, the recently uncovered remains surfaced during an ongoing review of its Biological Anthropology Section, undertaken to prepare thousands of artifacts for new storage facilities.

The museum said it immediately notified Africa’s family and pledged to handle the remains with the utmost respect.

“We are committed to full transparency with respect to any new evidence that may emerge,” the museum stated, pledging to uphold “the highest ethical standards” and to honor the wishes of descendant communities in future care of human remains​​.

How the MOVE Bombing Unfolded in 1985

MOVE was a Black liberation group founded in the early 1970s in Philadelphia by Vincent Leaphart, who later changed his name to John Africa. The group combined Black nationalist ideas with a back-to-nature lifestyle, rejecting modern conveniences, advocating for animal rights, and resisting governmental authority, which they saw as oppressive.

Tensions escalated in 1978 when a standoff between MOVE and police resulted in the death of an officer.

The conflict reached a tragic peak on May 13, 1985, when Philadelphia police attempted to evict MOVE from their fortified rowhouse in the city’s Cobbs Creek neighborhood. In a controversial decision, police dropped a bomb on the MOVE residence, resulting in trauma generations of families are still living with.

Though city officials later claimed the bombing was justified by complaints from neighbors regarding sanitation and noise, documents from the commission report revealed that city officials had previously classified MOVE as a terrorist organization.

MOVE members argue that this designation fostered an unjust level of hostility and escalated the city’s response​.

A Series of Apologies and Mishandlings

The museum’s retention of MOVE victims’ remains has been a point of controversy in recent years. In 2021, it was revealed that bones from at least one MOVE victim had been kept at the museum and used in forensic education by anthropologists from both Penn and Princeton University.

This revelation prompted student-led protests demanding accountability.

Penn Museum subsequently apologized and committed to a complete review of its holdings, aiming to ensure that any unreturned remains were properly handled.

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley resigned in 2021 after it was revealed he had ordered the cremation of remains from the 1985 MOVE bombing victims, which had been stored in the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office. Farley disclosed that he had authorized the remains’ disposal in 2017 without notifying the victims’ families, citing a desire to “spare” them additional distress.

Dr. Farley resigned as a result of the fallout.

Attorneys Demand Respect for MOVE Victims

Attorneys Bakari Sellers and Daniel Hartstein, representing a man whose sister was killed in the bombing, issued a strong condemnation of the Penn Museum, the University of Pennsylvania, and the city of Philadelphia, accusing them of repeatedly disrespecting MOVE families.

“For nearly 40 years, the City of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn Museum have refused to treat the MOVE Bombing victims or their families with the even most basic level of respect and decency,” they said in a joint statement.

“We are disgusted and disappointed but, unfortunately, we are not surprised.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.