Man Accused of Stealing Over 100 Human Remains From Graves in Shocking Case Faces 500 Charges

A 34-year-old man, Jonathan Gerlach of Ephrata, accused of stealing more than 100 human remains from a historic Philadelphia area cemetery, is facing up to 500 charges. He appeared in court on April 17, where he waived his rights to a preliminary hearing.

The 34-year-old man, identified as Jonathan Gerlach of Ephrata, faces up to 500 charges for the desecration of Mount Moriah Cemetery. According to Fox 29 reports, Gerlach was seen in a neon-green jumpsuit on April 17. When he appeared in court, his hair was in a bun, and he remained largely silent during the proceedings.

During the proceedings on April 17, two burglary charges were dropped, but Gerlach now faces additional counts related to cemetery burglaries in Lancaster and Luzerne counties.

The investigation into Gerlach began in January, after members of Mount Moriah Cemetery alerted authorities to widespread desecration of the cemetery, according to NBC News reports. Prosecutors said detectives conducting observed Gerlach’s vehicle near the cemetery with bones and skulls visible in the back seat. Gerlach was later seen exiting the grounds carrying a burlap bag and a crowbar, according to the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office.

Gerlach was arrested, and following his arrest, investigators searched his home and a storage unit, where they discovered a vast collection of remains, including approximately 100 human skulls, mummified hands, feet and two decomposing torsos.

“They were in various stages,” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said while talking to the reporters. “Some of them were hanging as it were. Some of them were pieced together, and some were just skulls on a shelf.” Investigators also recovered jewelry and a pacemaker believed to be taken from the graves.

“Detectives walked into a horror movie coming to life in that home,” Rouse said during a press conference in January. “It is, in the most literate sense of the word, horrific. I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through this, who are trying to figure out if it is in fact one of their loved ones,” Rouse added.

According to Fox 29 reports, families whose loved ones are buried in that cemetery attended the hearing held on April 17. Judy Prichard McCleary, whose ancestor’s mausoleum is one of the 26 sites targeted, expressed her shock.

“It just made me sick to my stomach to think anyone would want to do that,” she said. “To be able to sell body parts on the internet just appals me, and I think it should be stopped,” she added.

Police said Gerlach targeted mosques and underground vaults at the 1885 cemetery. It is considered the country's largest abandoned burial ground, according to the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, which helps maintain the 160-acre landmark in Yeadon that is home to an estimated 150,000 grave sites.

Gerlach is currently being held on a $1 million bond that he cannot pay and remains in Delaware County Jail.