Background: News footage of Mount Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, Pa. (WCAU). Inset: Jonathan Gerlach (Delaware County District Attorney”s Office).
A Pennsylvania man, Jonathan Gerlach, has found himself at the center of a shocking case involving over 100 sets of human skeletal remains. These discoveries have led to him facing nearly 600 criminal charges following a thorough investigation.
Gerlach, 34, was apprehended on Tuesday after authorities linked him to multiple burglaries at the historic Mount Moriah Cemetery located in Yeadon, a small borough on the outskirts of Philadelphia. The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office detailed in a press release that their investigation kicked off after reports emerged of several graves being desecrated starting in early November 2025. This prompted a surveillance operation that culminated in Gerlach allegedly being caught red-handed. He was reportedly seen leaving the cemetery carrying a burlap bag, a crowbar, and other tools.
Upon inspecting Gerlach’s vehicle, detectives uncovered a disturbing scene: numerous bones and skulls were visible in the back seat. As reported by the Daily Times, the burlap sack contained particularly grim contents, including “two mummified remains of small children, three skulls, and other assorted bones,” according to an affidavit.
The investigation escalated with a search warrant for Gerlach’s residence in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Officers discovered over 100 sets of human remains, some skeletal and others still in the process of decomposition. Notably, one of the remains had a pacemaker still attached. A further search of a storage unit reportedly revealed eight additional sets of human remains.
Detectives honed in on Gerlach as a suspect through tracking his vehicle and phone. His Toyota RAV4 was spotted multiple times near the cemetery during November and December 2025, according to police. Additionally, Gerlach’s phone records placed him near the cemetery on several occasions starting from October 31, 2025, providing further evidence of his alleged activities.
Police stated that Gerlach’s phone records showed his number pinging off towers near the cemetery on several dates beginning on Oct. 31, 2025.
When police caught Gerlach at the cemetery on Tuesday, they said he surrendered without incident. Police said he then demonstrated how he opened the graves with a crowbar. During an interview with police, Gerlach admitted to taking 30 sets of remains from Mount Moriah Cemetery. Police brought him back to the historic site on Wednesday, where he showed them seven locations from which he allegedly took 15 sets of remains.
During a press conference on Thursday that was covered by local NBC affiliate WCAU, Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said, “Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night, guys.” He stated that some of the sets of remains were more than 100 years old, and some of the remains belonged to “months-old infants” and children. Rouse said authorities will be working to identify the remains, but said, “It is going to be quite some time before we have a final answer.”
Rouse confirmed that investigators are looking into social media groups that Gerlach is connected with, including one that purports to sell human skeletal remains. Authorities believe that Gerlach acted alone, but Rouse said he was living with a girlfriend who was “at least around the home” where the human remains were found.
Rouse added, “Our hearts go out to every family that is impacted by this.”
Gerlach was charged with a total of 574 counts, including 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property; 26 counts of felony burglary; and 52 counts each of felony criminal trespass and misdemeanor intentional desecration. He remains in custody on $1 million cash bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20.
