A Slatington man has been charged with homicide after admitting he killed and dismembered a man in the basement of his residence, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Trooper John Snyder and Trooper Taylor Dietrich of Pennsylvania State Police, Troop M, Bethlehem, in the case against Joshua Moser:

Around 1:30 p.m. May 13, troopers were alerted to a person missing under suspicious circumstances.

David Hittinger, 37, had not been heard from since around 7 p.m. May 11.

Hittinger was seen at the residence at 699 S. Franklin St., Slatington.

During the course of the investigation, troopers learned Moser, 33, had recently allowed Hittinger to move into his home on Franklin Street.

Following the execution of a search warrant at that address, troopers saw a large quantity of blood in the basement of the residence where Hittinger was staying

It appeared to troopers the basement had been hastily staged to conceal the blood.

Around 5:18 p.m. May 15, Moser was interviewed at the Pennsylvania State Police barracks, Stroudsburg.

Moser allegedly said he strangled and struck Hittinger in the head with a hammer, killing him in the basement of his residence.

Moser allegedly said he dismembered Hittinger’s body in the residence and discarded the body parts in three specific locations in Slatington Borough and Washington Township.

Based upon the information provided by Moser, the three locations were searched and dismembered body parts were discovered in trash bags, as Moser described.

A fingerprint, developed from a recovered dismembered hand, was analyzed by the Pennsylvania State Police, Bethlehem Regional Laboratory and identified as belonging to Hittinger.

Moser faces charges of criminal homicide, abuse of corpse and tampering with and fabricating physical evidence.

Moser is currently incarcerated in Lehigh County Jail. Bail has been denied.

Moser is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing May 29 before District Judge Michael J. Faulkner.