Police in Pennsylvania, USA, have made a horrifying discovery following the arrest of a man accused of stealing human remains from a cemetery. The suspect was found with a massive collection of bones and body parts, some belonging to very young children.
Arrest at the Cemetery
Jonathan Gerlach, aged 34, was taken into custody on the evening of Tuesday, January 6. Detectives from the Yeadon Police Department and the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division were watching the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, a suburb of Philadelphia.
While conducting surveillance, the officers spotted numerous bones and skulls in plain sight inside Gerlach's car. They then observed the suspect leaving the cemetery carrying a burlap bag, a crowbar, and other items.
A House of Horrors Uncovered
After his arrest, Gerlach reportedly confessed to stealing about 30 sets of human remains. However, the true scale of the crime became clear when authorities searched his home in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and a storage unit he owned.
Investigators recovered hundreds of skeletal remains from these locations. The collection included long bones, mummified hands and feet, decomposing torsos, and other skeletal items. Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse described a macabre scene, with some remains hanging, others pieced together, and skulls placed on shelves.
"Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene," Rouse stated. He added that some of the stolen remains were from children, including months-old infants. The ages of the remains varied dramatically, with some believed to be around 200 years old and others much more recent.
Massive Charges and Ongoing Investigation
On Thursday, January 8, Gerlach was formally charged with a staggering 496 criminal counts. The charges break down as follows:
- 100 counts of abuse of a corpse
- 100 counts of theft by unlawful taking
- 100 counts of receiving stolen property
- 26 counts each of burglary, criminal trespass, and several desecration charges
- Additional counts for defiant trespassing
The investigation began after break-ins were reported at the 160-acre Mount Moriah Cemetery, which contains an estimated 150,000 graves. Police allege Gerlach targeted mausoleums and underground vaults. Jewelry believed taken from graves was also recovered; one item still had a pacemaker attached.
Authorities are now faced with the daunting task of identifying the victims. "We are still working to piece together who they are, where they are from, and how many we are looking at," Rouse explained. "It's going to be quite some time before we have a final answer." The motive for collecting the remains remains unclear.
