A Morrisville man killed his mother and dumped her body in a storage shed in Philly, DA says

A Morrisville man has been charged with murder after investigators say he dosed his mother with fentanyl, drove her body to a rec center in Frankford and shot her.

Sean Rivera, 28, also faces kidnapping, aggravated assault, drug offenses and related charges in the death of Carol Clark, 72.

Rivera was taken into custody early Monday, after investigators discovered Clark’s body inside a storage shed behind the Frankford Friends behavioral health center on Waln Street, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

Investigators first learned that something was amiss with Clark from Rivera’s brother, who lives in New York and had received a text message from his younger brother on Sunday that simply read “911.” When Rivera’s brother went to the home in Morrisville that Rivera shared with their mother, he told him their mother “got sick and passed away.”

Rivera later provided conflicting information, telling his brother their mother was still alive, but had suffered a heart attack and was in a hospital in Frankford. Rivera’s brother visited multiple hospitals, looking for her, but was unable to find her.

In interviews with Falls Township police officers, Rivera said his brother should be concerned about their mother, but wouldn’t say why, the affidavit said. He also said he woke up Sunday morning to find his mother gone without explanation and the doors to their home locked.

Rivera’s brother told detectives he was concerned, because his mother had mobility issues, and could not leave the house on her own. Sunday was her birthday, he said, and she had plans with her family that she wasn’t likely to cancel without notice.

While searching Clark’s home, detectives found two guns, both with receipts indicating they had been purchased by Rivera, the affidavit said. They also found a receipt from Home Depot for two padlocks, only one of which was in the house.

During questioning, Rivera admitted he killed his mother: He told detectives he put fentanyl in iced tea his mother had been drinking. He then drove her to the shed on Waln Street and shot her five times with one of the Glock handguns that detectives had found in his home.

After the shooting, Rivera said, he used bolt cutters to remove locks that had been on the storage shed, placed his mother’s body inside the shed, and replaced the lock with one he had purchased from Home Depot.