The body of Petre Toma had been unearthed six weeks later by his brother-in-law in the presence of several other members of the family, including his widow and her grand-daughter. According to several testimonies, they made an incision in the chest of Toma to extract his heart before burning it. One report states that, in accordance with a local custom to protect against vampires, they dissolved the ashes in water and drank it. An autopsy carried out by the authorities in Craiova confirmed that "the heart was indeed taken." The six people explained that after the death of Toma they had felt "weakened," as if they did not have "any more blood."