Man Arrested With Over 100 Human Skulls and Body Parts From Cemetery Break-Ins
A 34-year-old man was arrested in Pennsylvania for stealing over 100 sets of human remains from an abandoned cemetery.
Jonathan Christ Gerlach, a 34-year-old Pennsylvania resident, faces grave charges after authorities uncovered a macabre collection of over 100 sets of human remains in his Ephrata home and storage unit. The investigation began following a series of break-ins at the historic Mount Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, near Philadelphia—an abandoned 160-acre site with 150,000 graves dating back to 1855. Police were alerted when bones and skulls were spotted in the back seat of a car parked near the cemetery's outskirts, leading them to Gerlach's basement filled with mummified hands, feet, long bones, two decomposing torsos, and shelves of skulls in various states of display.
Officers reported the remains were disturbingly arranged: some hanging, others pieced together like macabre puzzles, with jewelry from the graves and even a pacemaker still attached to one body. Gerlach targeted sealed mausoleums and underground vaults containing older burials, smashing stonework to access the remains. Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, a group maintaining the neglected landmark, described it as America's largest abandoned burial ground, emphasizing the site's vulnerability to such desecration.
The arrest unfolded on a Tuesday night after a monthslong probe into at least 26 vandalized mausoleums since early November. Investigators linked Gerlach through vehicle plates showing repeated visits to Yeadon during the burglary spree. As he approached his car with a crowbar and a burlap bag, police intercepted him; the bag contained mummified remains of two small children, three skulls, and additional bones.
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During questioning, Gerlach admitted to stealing about 30 sets of remains and even guided officers to the specific graves he had robbed. Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse expressed bewilderment at the scale, stating, “Given the enormity of what we are looking at and the sheer, utter lack of reasonable explanation, it's difficult to say right now exactly what took place.” No clear motive has emerged, leaving investigators probing deeper into Gerlach's activities.
Gerlach now faces 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, plus charges of desecrating a public monument, venerated object, historic burial place, burglary, trespassing, and theft. He is held on $1 million bond, with no lawyer listed in records. Authorities continue to catalog the remains and notify families where possible, as the case shocks the community and underscores risks to historic cemeteries.
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