Man Arrested On Nearly 500 Charges, Including 100 Counts of Abuse of Corpse, After Skeletal Remains Allegedly Discovered in His Home By Charna Flam

A Pennsylvania man has been arrested on nearly 500 charges in connection with the burglaries of graves and mausoleums across Pennsylvania.

Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, Penn., Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said in a statement. According to Rouse, authorities executed a search of Gerlach’s Ephrata, Penn., home, where they allegedly found hundreds of skeletal remains.

On Thursday, Jan. 8, Gerlach was subsequently charged with 496 counts, including 100 counts of abuse of corpse, 100 counts of theft by unlawful taking and 100 counts of receiving stolen property.

The remaining 196 counts include 26 counts of burglary, 26 counts of criminal trespass, 26 counts of intentional desecration of a public monument, 26 counts of intentional desecration of a venerated object, 26 counts of intentional desecration of historical lots and burial places, and 26 counts of criminal mischief.

Gerlach also faces 7 counts of “defiant trespasser — fenced/enclosed,” and 7 counts of “defiant trespasser — posted.”

On Tuesday, Jan. 6, around 8 p.m., Yeadon Police Department Detective Leah Cesanek and Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Detective Chris Karr were surveilling the Mt. Moriah Cemetery.

While there, the pair discovered “numerous bones and skulls” in “plain view” in the backseat of Gerlach’s car.

“Gerlach was then seen exiting the cemetery holding a burlap bag, crow bar and other assorted items,” Rouse alleged in the statement.

Gerlach was then taken into custody, and police say he admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains. 

Related Stories

Family Went to Clean Out Home After Man’s Death. Then They Found Human Remains in the Basement: ‘Scary’

Man Who Had Buckets of Human Remains Promoted Himself as ‘Preservation Specialist of Retired Medical Specimens’

A search warrant for Gerlach’s home was issued and executed. Once officers from the CID, the  Ephrata PD and Middle Creek Search and Rescue arrived at his home and storage unit, they allegedly discovered over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains.

“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene,” Rouse said, according to the news release. 

Rouse further alleged that some of the human remains were those of children, including remains belonging to months-old infants, according to ABC 6. He also claimed that some of the remains were 200 years old, while others were “much newer.”

“There’s one with a pacemaker still attached to the body,” Rouse added.

Rouse said that the remains were found in various conditions. “Some were hanging as it were. Some were pieced together, some were skulls on a shelf,” he said, according to ABC 6.

He alleged that the detectives recovered “an awful lot of bones,” and are still working “to piece together who they are, where they are from, and how many we are looking at,” per the outlet. “It’s going to be quite some time before we have a final answer.”

Police believe the remains were also stolen from other nearby cemeteries. It is unclear whether Gerlach sold the remains and what motivated the collection.

“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,” Rouse said, according to the news release.

Gerlach’s arrest follows an investigation into the string of burglaries of graves and mausoleums between Nov. 7, 2025, and Jan. 6.

In addition to investigating Gerlach, authorities are also investigating a Facebook group he was connected to, called “Human Bones and Skull Selling Group.” He was tagged and pictured holding a skull on the group page, ABC 6 reported.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.          

Gerlach is being held on $1 million bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20.

The investigation remains ongoing.

The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office urges anyone with additional information to contact Detective Leah Cesanek at 610-623-1500 or Detective Chris Karr at 610-891-4700.