The mystery of the Mütter skulls | Morning Newsletter

Good morning, Philly. It’s still steamy out there. The next few days are expected to be sunny, with high temps in the low 90s.

Our top story today involves a Cambria County murder mystery and two skulls found at the Mütter Museum in Center City decades after they were thought to be buried.

And in other unfinished business, a plan to help SEPTA has emerged from the Republican state Senate — but with no funding attached. Read on for these stories and more of the region’s latest news.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Forty-five years after the mummified remains of five children were found in a southwest Pennsylvania attic, the truth of how two of their skulls came to be stored in the stacks of a Philadelphia medical history museum is still unfolding.

The mystery is a morbid one, involving infanticide, alleged theft by a forensic scientist, a long-forgotten museum donation, and a grave that’s (maybe) not where it’s supposed to be. Answers to lingering questions will not come easily.

“There is no one around to ask anymore about what folks were thinking,” a Mütter Museum staffer told The Inquirer. The decades-old saga is a “frustrating blank slate.”

Arts reporter Rosa Cartagena digs into the case, including discoveries involving a Philly institution in the midst of its own upheaval.

As legislators continue to negotiate how SEPTA fits into Pennsylvania’s next budget, Philly’s lone GOP state senator and two of his suburban colleagues introduced a package of bills to improve the transit agency’s accountability to the state.

🏛️ The bills from Sens. Joe Picozzi of Northeast Philadelphia, Frank Farry of Bucks County, and Tracy Pennycuick of Montgomery County would require SEPTA to publish biennial performance reviews on its progress toward financial stability, among other measures.

🏛️ SEPTA is already doing much of what’s proposed, according to GM Scott Sauer, who says he’s happy to support any effort that would help the Republican-led legislature to feel more comfortable dedicating state funding to public transit.

🏛️ Yet the bills don’t propose any additional money for the beleaguered system. And without additional money, service cuts are coming soon. Reporters Gillian McGoldrick and Elena Eisenstadt have the details.

In other Pennsylvania government news: State Sen. Doug Mastriano has been teasing another gubernatorial bid. Now, he says he won’t be deterred by GOP insiders from challenging Gov. Josh Shapiro again.

The Chester County boy wanted to see the world, but died at 16. In a few months, some of Phillip’s ashes, along with the cremated remains or DNA of over 200 others, will travel to space aboard a Memorial Spaceflight Services mission.

New Hope teen Zach Peckman set two records at the U.S. championships earlier this summer — and is now in Japan competing in the world championships — for which nontraditional sport?

A) Ultimate frisbee

B) Parkour

C) Trampolining

D) Jump roping

Think you know? Check your answer.

🏈 Streaming: NFL Films’ Super Bowl LIX doc on the Roku Channel.

🍻 Trying: These 10 summery Philly craft beers, from Jamaican collabs to pink lemonade ales.

🌱 Preparing for: A perfect fall garden in the middle of summer.

⚽ Anticipating: The U.S. women’s soccer team’s return to the Philly area this fall.

💨 Considering: The costs of fossil fuel dependence in Philadelphia.

Hint: The easternmost section of West Philadelphia

SURETY VICINITY

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Mark Burgoyne, who solved Sunday’s anagram: "A Championship Season." The Philadelphia Orchestra’s newest talent? Making Saquon Barkley look like a movie star at the Mann’s concert event.

I attended the Savannah Bananas’ Saturday game at Citizens Bank Park, and it was maybe the most engaged I’ve felt watching baseball ever. The choreography! The behind-the-back glove work! The Joey Chestnut cameo! I’m only sad I missed Sunday’s Gritty-Split dance-off.

Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Gail J. Hauptfuhrer, who reflects on the city’s impact on a full life:

My love for Philadelphia started in 1966 when I attended Drexel University for my bachelor’s degree. I came to Drexel because it had a work study program, which was the only way I could pay for college.

Attending Drexel changed my life — it made it possible for me to have a good career and a good life, and introduced me to city life. We used to eat in Chinatown at midnight when other restaurants were closed, and on weekends we would wander through Society Hill hoping to live there someday.

So here I am, nearly 60 years later, with all of those dreams fulfilled. Philadelphia has evolved into an amazing city with so much to enjoy — a great arts scene, great sports teams (go Birds!), great restaurants, and I’m looking forward to 2026 when the World Cup plays in Philadelphia and all of America’s 250th birthday celebrations happen here.

Every time I’m out of town and see the skyline when we return, I think, “Ah, Philadelphia, it’s so good to be home.”

Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. Enjoy your Monday.

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