Lehigh County

Coroner: Suspect in Lehigh Valley dismemberment case kills self in jail cell

A 34-year-old Slatington man, charged in the death and dismemberment of his roommate, was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday, officials said. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office has ruled the death a suicide

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A 34-year-old Slatington man -- who had been charged with killing and dismembering his roommate before scattering the remains in three locations in Slatington Borough and Washington Township -- was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, officials said.

According to law enforcement officials in Lehigh County, Joshua Moser, 34, of Slatington, was found dead alone in his cell at the Lehigh County Jail on Saturday, Jan.11, 2025.

On Sunday morning, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office ruled the death a suicide, though an autopsy will be conducted this week to determine Moser's cause of death.

Officials said that Moser was discovered by staff who attempted life-saving measures, but Moser was pronounced shortly after he was taken to a nearby hospital.

Moser was in police custody awaiting trial on murder, abuse of a corpse and other charges in the May 2024 slaying of his roommate, David Hittinger.

During an interview with investigators, law enforcement officials claim Moser allegedly admitted to strangling Hittinger and striking him over the head with a hammer in the basement of his home, killing him.

Moser then dismembered Hittinger’s body at the home and discarded his body parts, according to the criminal complaint.

Police investigators allegedly found dismembered body parts in trash bags at the Fairview Cemetery in Slatington, an area off of the D&L Trail in Slatington, and a small quarry behind Northern Lehigh High School in Washington Township, Lehigh County.

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