Man allegedly starved elderly father to death

Thomas Hauck, 57, of Northeast Philadelphia, was arrested on murder charges for allegedly starving his 82-year-old father to death, the District Attorney's office announced Thursday.

Medics responded to a home on Kirkwood Road near Eden Street on Dec. 26 to treat Hauck's mother — who was malnourished — and found Leonard Hauck, 82, dead in the basement, said Tasha Jamerson, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office.

Thomas Hauck told officials that his father died days earlier, and that he was unsure of what to do with his corpse.

After finding Leonard Hauck dead in the basement of his own home, officials launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Jamerson said the man appeared to be severely malnourished when medics found him, and weighed only 79 pounds.

Houck was arrested Thursday morning on charges of murder, abuse of a corpse, reckless endangerment and theft, among other offenses. Aside from allegedly starving his parents, Hauck stole an undisclosed amount of money from them while he acted as their caretaker, Jamerson said.

Houck was awaiting arraignment Thursday night.