Background: News footage of the home in South Londonderry Township, Pa., where Sharlene Mikula was found dead on April 14 (WGAL). Inset: Michael Mikula (Lebanon County District Attorney”s Office).
A Pennsylvania man is in legal trouble after police said he neglected to tell anyone that his wife had been dead for over a month and still in his home.
Michael Mikula, 68, was charged with abuse of a corpse, neglecting the care of a dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, and tampering with evidence after police said they found the dead body of his wife, 66-year-old Sharlene Mikula, in their home in South Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania. According to a statement from the Lebanon County District Attorney obtained by local NBC affiliate WGAL, Michael Mikula “was aware of [his wife’s] passing and had taken measures to conceal her passing.”
The DA’s office said Michael Mikula had lived with his wife’s dead body “for at least one month” until she was discovered during a well-being check by police on April 14 that was requested by Sharlene Mikula’s family. When officers arrived at the home, Michael Mikula allegedly told them his wife was not home. The officers were eventually allowed inside, and as they began to investigate the house, the DA said they found Sharlene Mikula deceased and “in a state of advanced decomposition.”
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by WGAL, Michael Mikula told detectives that his wife had “been gone for a long time.” He stated that she had no appetite in the weeks leading up to her death, but tried to get her to eat one meal a day. One day, Michael Mikula allegedly told police, he found his wife dead. He told detectives that she did not appear decomposed until about a week before the cops showed up at his house.
Sharlene Mikula’s family told police that she had suffered from several mental health disorders and was hospitalized for 51 days at a behavioral health center in May 2025. Police said the hospital’s records of her health indicated that Sharlene Mikula lost more than 100 pounds over the course of a year.
WGAL reported that the Mikulas’ home was sold by the sheriff’s office the same day Sharlene Mikula’s body was found. A neighbor told the outlet that the new owner noticed a foul odor in the house.
Michael Mikula was arrested and booked into the Lebanon County Correctional Facility. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 23.
