A Pennsylvania man accused of pillaging a historic cemetery for human remains was charged Thursday with 300 counts tied to what prosecutors say was a home stash of more than 100 sets of bones and body parts.
Delaware County prosecutors said Jonathan Gerlach, 34, of Ephrata was hit with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property after detectives spotted “numerous bones and skulls in plain view” inside his car during a stakeout at Mount Moriah Cemetery on Tuesday night. (RELATED: Trump Orders Return Of Removed Monuments Dismantled During Biden Era)
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home. It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific.” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said in a press conference referenced in the district attorney’s announcement.
Investigators watched Gerlach exit the cemetery carrying “a burlap bag, crow bar and other assorted items,” then took him into custody, according to the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said Gerlach admitted stealing “approximately 30 sets of human remains,” and a search warrant later executed at his home — plus a storage unit — led authorities to believe “over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains have been recovered.”
The same announcement lists dozens of additional counts, including 26 burglary counts and multiple intentional desecration charges tied to alleged damage at the cemetery between Nov. 7, 2025, and Jan. 6, 2026.
Gerlach is being held at George W. Hill Correctional Facility on $1 million cash bail, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 20, prosecutors said, adding the investigation “remains ongoing.”