A Pennsylvania man is facing nearly 500 criminal charges after an investigation led to the discovery of “over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains” recovered from his home and storage unit, officials said Thursday.
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, of Ephrata, was arrested earlier this week after detectives saw him leaving Mount Moriah Cemetery, in the Philadelphia metro area, “holding a burlap bag, crowbar and other assorted items.”
Investigators had been called to the cemetery several times since early November, following reports of “a string of burglarized graves and mausoleums,” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said in a news release.
Investigators said at least 26 mausoleums and graves had been forced open since Nov. 7.
Around 8 p.m. Tuesday, Det. Leah Cesanek of the Yeadon Police Department and Det. Chris Karr of the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division were conducting surveillance in the area when they saw “numerous bones and skulls in plain view” in the backseat of a car.
The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Gerlach, was taken into custody and allegedly admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains, investigators said.
After a search warrant was executed at the suspect’s home in Ephrata, about 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia, investigators recovered what they believe were at least 100 sets of human skeletal remains, both complete and partial, prosecutors said.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home. It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific,” District Attorney Tanner Rouse said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. “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.”
Gerlach was charged with 489 counts, including 100 related to abuse of a corpse, the DA’s office said.
He is currently being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility after failing to post $1 million bail, officials said. He is due back in court on Jan. 20 for a preliminary hearing.
