Authorities in the United States have made a horrifying discovery, arresting a man on close to five hundred criminal charges after skeletal remains were found in his residence. The case involves the burglary of graves and mausoleums across Pennsylvania.
A Cemetery Arrest Leads to a Macabre Discovery
Jonathan Gerlach, a 34-year-old American, was taken into custody on Tuesday, January 6. The arrest occurred at the Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, as announced by Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse.
Detectives from the Yeadon Police and Delaware County CID were surveilling the cemetery around 8 p.m. when they made the initial find. They reported seeing "numerous bones and skulls" in plain sight inside the backseat of Gerlach's car.
"Gerlach was then seen exiting the cemetery holding a burlap bag, crow bar, and other assorted items," DA Rouse stated. The man was immediately arrested and, according to police, confessed to stealing about 30 sets of human remains.
"A Horror Movie Come to Life" in Suspect's Home
Following the arrest, investigators executed a search warrant at Gerlach's home in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. What they found was beyond shocking.
"Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene," Rouse described. Officers from multiple agencies discovered over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains in the home and a storage unit.
The district attorney provided chilling details: some remains were of children, including months-old infants. Other remains were estimated to be around 200 years old, while some were much more recent. In one case, a pacemaker was still attached to a body.
"Some were hanging as it were. Some were pieced together, some were skulls on a shelf," Rouse said, describing the conditions in which the remains were found.
Nearly 500 Criminal Charges Filed
By Thursday, January 8, prosecutors had filed a staggering 496 criminal counts against Jonathan Gerlach. 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
The remaining 196 charges include multiple counts of burglary, criminal trespass, and various desecration charges related to public monuments, venerated objects, and historical burial places.
Police believe the remains were stolen from several cemeteries in the area during a crime spree that lasted from November 7, 2025, until his arrest on January 6. The motive for collecting the bones remains unclear, as does whether any were sold.
Investigators are now painstakingly working to identify 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."
Authorities are also investigating a Facebook group named "Human Bones and Skull Selling Group," which Gerlach was connected to. A report by ABC 6 noted he was tagged in a photo on the group's page holding a skull.
District Attorney Rouse expressed sympathy for the families affected: "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." The case continues to develop as the full scope of the crimes is uncovered.
