Cops stumble into big pot operation, human remains, suicide
PLEASANT MOUNT (AP) – Pennsylvania police say officers checking on the welfare of a resident stumbled upon a possible homicide, an apparent suicide and a large marijuana-growing operation.
State police say officers went to the home in Mount Pleasant Township, in the northeastern corner of the state, on Monday to look for 54-year-old Joseph Mastropole.
Police spokesman Mark Keyes says the man who opened the door claimed he was a roommate who hadn’t seen Mastropole. As police continued their inquiry into Mastropole’s whereabouts, that man, 57-year-old Gaston Gomez, apparently shot himself.
Police says they found marijuana plants in a barn and a smoldering burn barrel containing suspected human remains. More remains were found in the house.
Police are trying to determine whether some or all of the remains belong to Mastropole, who is considered missing.