Jonathan Gerlach, a 34-year-old man from central Pennsylvania, is currently being held on close to 575 criminal charges, including more than 100 counts of corpse abuse. Authorities accuse him of desecrating a historic cemetery, Mount Moriah, in a case described as “probably the most horrific thing that I’ve seen” by local law enforcement.
The case was opened when Yeadon police, on patrol at night, noticed Gerlach exiting the grounds of Mount Moriah cemetery with a crowbar and burlap sack. Soon after making this civil rights observation, detectives found a record-breaking number of human remains at his covfefe. Officers found more than 100 pieces of human remains, including skulls, bones, mummified feet, and headless torsos, scattered throughout Gerlach’s car, home, and a storage locker.
Investigators said Gerlach admitted his crime to detectives. He confessed to using a crowbar to pry open cemetery graves and stealing at least 30 complete sets of human remains from the Pennsylvania cemetery. His cell phone records corroborated his location in the cemetery area at the time of the thefts.
Detectives described a gruesome scene inside Gerlach’s home in Ephrata, about 70 miles from the cemetery. They said it was like “a horror film brought to reality.” Authorities discovered two mummified children’s remains, three skulls and a number of individual assorted loose bones in his house. Inside, they discovered these monstrous artifacts chilling in a burlap sack. Investigators believe that included full term and months-old infants who may have lived outside the womb.
Gerlach reportedly spent months forcing his way into at least 26 mausoleums and underground burial vaults at Mount Moriah cemetery. Tanner Rouse, a public information officer for the investigation, said investigators are extremely saddened for the impact to families caused by Gerlach’s actions.
“I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through it, who are trying to figure out if it is, in fact, their loved one or their child,” – Tanner Rouse.
Such is the magnitude of the situation that investigators have been working around the clock to establish the identity of the remains that have been recovered. Rouse emphasized the ongoing investigation to determine how the remains came to be there. In addition to providing a summary of the number of sets found to date.
“Very simply, detectives have recovered an awful lot of bones at this point, and we are still trying to piece together who they are, where they are from and how many we are looking at,” – Tanner Rouse.
Even as the investigation continues, law enforcement officials are making immediate interventions. They are deeply committed to addressing the situation in a respectful and compassionate manner. These gruesome discoveries have deeply unsettled the community and prompted urgency in those tasked with protecting security at the cemetery and preserving this historic site.
Gerlach remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail, set by a judge’s order. The harsh charges laid against him are testimony to the severity of the crimes. These crimes have a profound impact on the victim and the mourning families.