The Berks County Coroner’s Office has identified human remains discovered earlier this month inside a vacant home in Reading as 47-year-old Jose Rodriguez-Figueroa Jr. of Reading.
The remains were discovered on October 2, 2026, inside a vacant residence in the 500 block of South 6th Street. According to an update Wednesday, October 14, by Berks County Coroner Matthew J. Stitzel, the identification followed an extensive forensic investigation involving multiple specialists.
The investigation included an autopsy conducted by a forensic pathologist, an examination by a forensic odontologist, forensic entomology analysis, and assistance from two teams of forensic anthropologists from the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Following the initial public announcement about the discovery, several families contacted the Coroner’s Office with information about missing loved ones. Officials said the descriptions provided by those families helped investigators narrow the possibilities and focus their efforts on identifying the remains.
Forensic anthropologists from the University of South Florida subsequently compared the available information with medical records and confirmed the identity of Rodriguez-Figueroa.
The Coroner’s Office confirmed that the Reading Police Department is investigating his death as a homicide.
“We are grateful to everyone who played a role in identifying Mr. Jose Rodriguez-Figueroa, Jr.,” Stitzel said in the release.
Authorities have not released additional details about the circumstances surrounding Rodriguez-Figueroa’s death.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the Coroner’s Office said additional information will be released when appropriate.
