Authorities said Michael Mikula lived in the home for weeks after Sharlene Mikula died.
SOUTH LONDONDERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A 68-year-old Lebanon County man was charged after police found his wife’s badly decomposed body inside their Timber Lane home during a welfare check requested by her family, authorities said.
Michael B. Mikula was charged with neglect of a care-dependent person, abuse of corpse, recklessly endangering another person, obstructing administration of law or other governmental function and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. His wife, Sharlene Mikula, 66, was found dead April 14. Prosecutors said the cause and manner of her death remained under investigation.
Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said officers were sent to the home in the 300 block of Timber Lane at about 2:30 p.m. April 14 for a wellbeing check. When officers arrived, Michael Mikula initially told them his wife was not home, according to the district attorney’s office. Officers later entered the residence and found Sharlene Mikula dead on a bedroom floor. “As officers spoke with Michael and began to check the home, Sharlene Mikula was located deceased within the home,” the district attorney’s office said.
Investigators said Sharlene Mikula’s body was in an advanced state of decomposition when it was found. Police noted flies in the home and the smell of death in charging documents, according to local reports. Michael Mikula allegedly told detectives that his wife had “been gone for a long time” and said she had died about a month before officers came to the house. Authorities said he did not report the death, seek medical care for her or notify law enforcement. He was arrested April 17 and arraigned the same day.
The district attorney’s office said evidence showed Michael Mikula had lived in the home for at least a month after his wife died and had taken steps to conceal her death. Charging documents described Sharlene Mikula as care-dependent and said Michael Mikula told investigators he had power of attorney and was her only caregiver. He allegedly said he tried to get her to eat one meal a day because she had little appetite. He also allegedly told detectives she had complained before her death of trouble breathing and pain in her hands and knee.
Family members told investigators they had previously asked police to check on Sharlene Mikula, most recently on Feb. 5, according to charging documents cited in local reports. Relatives said she had mental health conditions, including depression and mania. Investigators said EMS had been called to the home March 8, 2025, when she was found malnourished. Records later showed she was admitted to Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital in May 2025 for a 51-day stay. Those records said she had lost more than 100 pounds in a year and had low energy.
Authorities said the autopsy was completed April 16, but final results could take months because decomposition made the forensic examination more difficult. Reports citing court records said the autopsy found multiple fractures in different stages of healing, but officials had not released a final finding on whether those injuries were connected to her death. Prosecutors said the investigation remained open. No homicide charge had been announced in the first public updates, and the charges filed so far centered on alleged neglect, concealment and treatment of the body after death.
Police said Michael Mikula gave investigators several statements about his wife’s final weeks. He allegedly said she would end up on the floor after he put her in bed. He also allegedly said he woke up one morning and found her dead, but that her body did not appear decomposed until about a week before police arrived. Charging documents cited by local outlets said he allegedly used shovels to move her body inside the house. Investigators also alleged he tampered with evidence by cleaning up blood found around her body.
The case took another turn because county records showed the home was sold at a sheriff’s sale the same day Sharlene Mikula was found. A neighbor told a local television station that the new owners came to the property, asked residents about the house and noticed a foul odor. The neighbor said the family had moved nearby in November and had seen shadows inside the home but did not personally know the people who lived there. A hazmat team later removed Sharlene Mikula’s body from the property Tuesday night.
Michael Mikula was taken to the Lebanon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing was listed for April 23, while investigators continued reviewing medical records, family statements, evidence from the home and the autopsy findings. The South Londonderry Township Police Department and the Lebanon County Detective Bureau filed the charges jointly. The coroner’s office identified Sharlene Mikula on April 17, three days after she was found.
The district attorney’s office said the facts released so far showed no evidence that Michael Mikula sought treatment for his wife before her death or contacted authorities after she died. “At this time, there is no evidence to indicate Michael Mikula sought medical treatment for Sharlene nor did he attempt to notify authorities of her passing,” the office said. Prosecutors said the case remained under investigation as officials waited for more information from the coroner and detectives.
By Sunday, Michael Mikula remained charged in connection with the discovery of his wife’s body, while Sharlene Mikula’s cause and manner of death had not been publicly released. The next major step in the case is the completion of the coroner’s findings and any further court action tied to the pending charges.
Author note: Last updated April 26, 2026.