January 9, 2026 l Reporter: Johnson
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA — A 34-year-old Pennsylvania man has been charged with an extraordinary grave-robbery and desecration case after authorities discovered more than 100 human skeletal remains, including skulls and mummified body parts, stored in the basement of his home and a storage unit, local police confirmed. urt and police records, Jonathan Christ Gerlach of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, was arrested on January 6, following a months-long investigation into a series of break-ins at the historic Mount Moriah Cemetery on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Authorities say at least 26 mausoleums and burial vaults had been forcibly entered since early November, and remains were stolen from gravesites that date back more than a century.
icious when bones and skulls were spotted in the back seat of Gerlach’s vehicle near the abandoned cemetery during surveillance of ongoing break-ins. Officers then executed search warrants at his home in Ephrata and a
n off-site storage locker, where they found a shocking collection of human remains in various states long bones, skulls, mummified feet and hands, and even body parts that had medical devices such as a pacemaker still attached.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse described the scene in the basement as “a horror movie come to life,” noting that some remains were hung from the ceiling or placed on shelves, while others were pieced together. Jewelry believed to have come from grave sites was also recovered.
Gerlach faces an extensive list of nearly 500 charges, including abuse of a corpse, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, burglary, criminal trespass, desecration of historic burial places, and criminal mischief. Prosecutors allege he stole remains from multiple sites and has ties to an online group associated with the trade of human bones.
Investigators say Gerlach admitted to taking at least 30 sets of remains and has been linked by license-plate readers and cellphone data to the cemetery during the times of the break-ins. He is currently being held on $1 million bail, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 20, 2026. Officials are working to identify the remains and notify families who may be affected.
The case has drawn widespread attention and local shock, with law enforcement officials characterising the crimes as unprecedented in recent memory and emphasising the deep impact on descendants and community members connected to the once-abandoned graveyard.