New charges in brain thefts from medical museum

An Indianapolis man accused of breaking into a museum warehouse to steal the brains of dead mental patients is facing additional charges.

David Charles, 21, earlier was charged with theft in connection with a Dec. 15 break-in at the Indiana Medical History Museum in Indianapolis.

Detectives now think Charles broke into the Westside museum on multiple occasions to steal jars of human brain tissue and other human tissues, said A.J. Deer, spokesman for the Marion County prosecutor's office. The additional charges are two felony counts of burglary and another felony count of theft, Deer said.

Prosecutors moved forward with the new charges after detectives confirmed that a bloody fingerprint on a piece of paper found after one break-in belonged to Charles, Deer said.

Deer said a buyer of items sold on eBay contacted authorities after reading stories about similar items determined to be stolen from the Indiana Medical History Museum.

The museum, 3045 W. Vermont St., is the site of the former Central State Hospital, which served patients with psychiatric and mental disorders from 1848 to 1994.

Charles' initial December arrest stemmed from a tip from an eBay buyer of human brains.

Call Star reporter Bill McCleery at (317) 444-6083. Follow him on Twitter: @BillMcCleery01.