Decades After the 1985 Philadelphia Bombing, A Recent Discovery Shocked The City

More than 40 years after one of the most horrific tragedies in Pennsylvania history, one family might finally get the closure they’ve been looking for. The 1985 Philadelphia bombings claimed the lives of at least 11 men, women, and children.

But although authorities said all of the victims’ bodies were returned to their families, this 12-year-old girl somehow got lost in the rubble.

Researchers have now identified the body recently discovered under the University of Pennsylvania’s museum as 12-year-old Delisha Africa, according to Newsweek. Museum officials announced Africa’s identity and also said they informed the child’s remaining relatives of the discovery.

“We are committed to full transparency with respect to any new evidence that may emerge,” Penn Museum said in a statement. “Confronting our institutional history requires ever-evolving examination of how we can uphold museum practices to the highest ethical standards. Centering human dignity and the wishes of descendant communities govern the current treatment of human remains in the Penn Museum’s care.”

Africa was one of five children killed when Philadelphia police bombed the headquarters of MOVE — a Black “back to nature” movement— on May 13, 1985. The bombing also caused a devastating fire which spread to dozens of row homes in the West Philadelphia neighborhood.

MOVE founder John Africa— born Vincent Leaphart — was killed along with several of his followers and their children, according to West Philadelphia Collaborative History.

MOVE, originally named the Christian Movement for Life, is a communal organization that advocates for nature laws and natural living. The Black liberation movement notably conflicted with police on two deadly occasions.

In 1978, a confrontation between MOVE and police resulted in the death of an officer, and eventually nine MOVE members were sentenced to prison for the crime, according to NPR. As of 2024, two of the nine convicted MOVE members have been released.

The 1985 bombing marked the second deadly confrontation between the movement and officials. The tragedy was widely criticized by the public, but despite the outrage, no criminal charges were ever brought against Philadelphia police or city officials. However, several civil lawsuits were filed which resulted in survivors of the bombings being awarded $1.5 million, according to AP News.

“For nearly 40 years, the City of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn Museum have refused to treat the MOVE Bombing victims or their families with the even most basic level of respect and decency and this latest revelation is just the most recent in a long line of atrocities Black folks in America have had to live with,” said Strom law firm attorneys Bakari Sellers and Daniel Hartstein. “We are disgusted and disappointed but, unfortunately, we are not surprised.”

The shocking discovery of Africa’s remains comes three years after another bombing victim, 14-year-old Katricia Dotson, was uncovered at the same museum, according to the New York Times.