Investigators returned to the Harrisburg home seeking food and water containers after learning about Dr. Julia Pederson’s concerns.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania pediatrician feared her husband might be drugging her in the days before authorities say he killed her and set a fire inside their home, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo.
Dr. Julia Pederson, 41, had planned to undergo bloodwork because of those concerns but did not make it to the appointment, Chardo said. Investigators later returned to the family’s home in the 2900 block of Green Street with a search warrant and sought items including bottles of water, other water containers and food containers. Authorities have not announced that testing or evidence recovered from the home has established that Pederson was drugged.
Pederson’s husband, Jonathan Gatto, 41, was arrested Oct. 14 following an investigation that began four days earlier with a reported house fire. Harrisburg police charged him with murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, endangering the welfare of a child, arson and aggravated arson. The charges are allegations, and Gatto is presumed innocent unless proved guilty in court.
Emergency crews responded to the Green Street residence on the morning of Oct. 10. Pederson was found unresponsive, and investigators later determined that the fire had not caused her death. An autopsy found that she died from multiple traumatic injuries, and her death was ruled a homicide, according to court documents and authorities.
Investigators allege Gatto strangled Pederson before deliberately starting the fire. Authorities said the couple’s 7-year-old daughter was asleep inside the house at the time. Fire investigators determined that the blaze had been intentionally set and was concentrated in a lower-level bedroom.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Gatto told investigators that his marriage to Pederson was troubled and that the couple planned to separate. He said they had been trying to determine how to tell their daughter. Gatto also told police that Pederson had not been feeling well the day before the fire and had recently started medication for migraines.
Gatto told investigators that sometime late that night he heard a noise that sounded like someone falling down the stairs but did not find anyone there. He said he later checked on Pederson and returned to her room around 2 a.m. to offer her medication. According to his account in the affidavit, Pederson did not want it and he went back to sleep.
Gatto said smoke detectors later awakened him and that he took the couple’s daughter outside before calling 911. He told police he tried to return to the house for Pederson but burned his hand when he reached into her bedroom. Investigators allege the physical and forensic evidence showed that Pederson had already died before the fire began.
The disclosure about Pederson’s fear that she was being drugged has added another focus to the continuing investigation. Authorities have not said whether toxicology testing detected any substance that Pederson did not knowingly take, what investigators recovered during the later search or whether any seized item has been connected to her concerns.
Pederson worked as a pediatrician with UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics. UPMC described her after her death as a beloved physician who had devoted her career to caring for children and supporting families. Gatto remains charged in the case as investigators continue examining evidence surrounding Pederson’s death and the circumstances leading up to it.
Author note: Last updated October 18, 2026.