Philadelphia police have arrested a man who allegedly kept human remains in the basement of his Northeast home for use in religious rituals that may have included animal sacrifices.

Joseph Flood, 41, of the 7000 block of Keystone St. in Tacony, is charged with two counts of abuse of corpse and possessing an instrument of crime. He is being held in a Philadelphia prison in lieu of posting 10 percent of $150,000 bail.

Members of the Northeast Detective Division led by Sgt. Joe Gindele and Detective Erica Ortiz, as well as Officers John Mulholland, John McCloskey, Steve Brous and Chris Rommel of the 15th Police District, served a search warrant on Flood's home at 6 a.m. on Sunday, Gindele said. Flood surrendered to authorities without incident.

Flood's attorney, Perry DeMarco, said that he may contest the charges on grounds that they violate Flood's constitutional rights.

"It's a very interesting case," DeMarco said. "Among other issues, it may have serious First Amendment implications."

In the basement of the home, police found an array of animal feathers and bones that appeared to be from a duck, chicken, deer and bat, Gindele said. Those remains were not there on June 14 when police first discovered two human skulls and 15 other human bones while responding to a burglary alarm at the home, according to the detective.

The Northeast Times first reported on the initial discovery in June 18 editions of the newspaper, then revealed extensive details about the apparent religious shrine in July 2 editions.

An informant who knows Flood has told police that Flood practices Palo Mayombe, a religion identified by scholars as a "sibling" of Santeria and Vodou in which practitioners attempt to evoke spirits of the dead for healing or other assistance. The religion is based on traditions from the Congo region in Africa that were brought to Cuba by colonial era slaves.

Police have not identified the human remains or determined how Flood acquired them. One of the skulls appears to have been used in a medical school or similar setting, authorities have said. The other bones included ribs and femurs.

In addition to the skulls, one of which was covered in what appeared to be animal or human blood, police also found during the initial search a blood-stained coffin in the basement as well as a series of large vats or pots containing a bloody, fleshy mixture, Gindele said.

Authorities have not tracked down the origin of the coffin. Lab testing of the skulls, bones and blood substance is ongoing. Flood denied knowledge of the skulls and refused to discuss the other findings when questioned by a Times reporter on June 25.

In addition to Flood, a woman who police identified as the suspect's girlfriend was in the home at the time of Sunday's police raid. The woman was not arrested.

When questioned about the skulls and bones last month, the woman told police that she had no knowledge of the basement shrine, sources say.

Flood has rented the single home from a Bucks County man for about five years. The woman has lived there for a couple of months, police say.

An abuse of corpse charge is a second-degree misdemeanor. Flood has not been charged with crimes related to the dead animal parts or the blood vats allegedly found in his basement.

Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com

15th Police District adding some officers

By Diane Prokop

Times Staff Writer