Jonathan Gatto is accused of killing Julia Pederson and setting their Harrisburg home on fire while their young daughter was inside.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Relatives are seeking temporary custody of the 7-year-old daughter of Dr. Julia Pederson after authorities charged the girl’s father with killing Pederson and setting a fire inside the family’s Harrisburg home.
Jonathan Gatto, 41, was arrested Oct. 14 and charged with murder and five other offenses after an investigation into Pederson’s Oct. 10 death. Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said the child is now staying with relatives while the Court of Common Pleas considers requests for temporary custody. The proceedings add a family-court dimension to a criminal case that authorities say unfolded as Pederson and Gatto were preparing to separate.
Police said officers and firefighters were called to the 2900 block of Green Street after a house fire. Pederson, 41, was found following the blaze. Investigators later determined that her death was not caused by the fire and concluded that the blaze had been intentionally set. The coroner ruled her death a homicide caused by multiple traumatic injuries, according to the criminal case described by authorities.
Investigators allege Gatto strangled Pederson before setting her body on fire. The couple’s daughter was asleep in the home, according to charging documents. Police charged Gatto with murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, endangering the welfare of a child, arson and aggravated arson. The criminal charges are allegations, and Gatto is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Gatto told police the marriage was not going well and that he and Pederson intended to separate, according to the affidavit. He said they were trying to decide how to explain the separation to their daughter. Chardo later said investigators believe Pederson was killed as the marriage was ending, although prosecutors have not publicly presented that theory at trial and no court has determined Gatto’s guilt.
Gatto gave investigators a detailed account of the night before the fire. He said Pederson was not feeling well and did not take their daughter to ballet because of a new medication. He also said he heard what sounded like someone falling down the stairs and later checked on Pederson. According to the affidavit, he said he returned to her room around 2 a.m. to bring her ibuprofen but went back to bed after she appeared startled.
Gatto told investigators that smoke alarms later awakened him and that he rushed to get their daughter out of the house. He said he called 911 and tried to go back inside for Pederson but burned his hand as he reached into her room. Investigators said evidence later showed Pederson had died before the fire. Authorities also determined that the fire was intentionally set and was relatively limited in size.
The investigation has continued after Gatto’s arrest. Police and federal officials returned Friday to the Green Street home to execute a search warrant. Chardo said investigators were seeking water bottles, water containers, food containers and other potential evidence after learning that Pederson had worried before her death that Gatto might be drugging her. She had scheduled bloodwork but did not make it to that appointment, the district attorney said. Officials have not announced that testing or recovered evidence has confirmed she was drugged.
Pederson practiced at UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics in Camp Hill and Harrisburg. UPMC said after her death that she had devoted her career to caring for children and supporting families. Before living in Pennsylvania, she also served as a commissioner for First 5 Monterey County, an organization focused on early childhood development. Friends, former colleagues and patients have described her as a dedicated pediatrician and mother.
Chardo said relatives have asked to assume temporary care of the couple’s daughter because her mother is dead and her father is incarcerated. A court official is reviewing those requests under the child’s best interests, he said. The criminal investigation also remains active as authorities analyze evidence recovered from the home. No trial date or final resolution of the custody proceedings has been publicly announced.
Author note: Last updated October 17, 2026.