Detectives found more than 100 human skulls and mummified body parts in a “horror movie come to life” after arresting a suspect during a months-long investigation into graveyard burglaries at an abandoned cemetery in Philadelphia.
Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, has been charged with 100 counts of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, as well as burglary, criminal trespass, theft, and desecration of historic lots and burial places, after he was arrested by police, near Mount Moriah Cemetery on January 6.
Investigators say he was apprehended after police allegedly found bones and skulls in the back seat of his car during surveillance of the cemetery.
Investigators reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, decomposing torsos, and other skeletal items during subsequent searches of Gerlach’s Ephrata home—most stored in the basement—and a storage unit, according to The Associated Press.
The Context
Prior to the arrest, officers had been investigating a string of burglarized graves and mausoleums at the cemetery dating back to November 7, according to a press release from the Delaware County District Attorney. Mount Moriah Cemetery, was opened in 1855 before closing in 2011. It’s considered the country’s largest abandoned burial ground, according to Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, and is estimated to have 150,000 grave sites.
Yeadon Mayor Rohan Hepkins told a news conference, announcing the charges, that the site’s lack of fencing and multiple entry points make it an “inviting target,” according to NBC News. District Attorney Tanner Rouse reportedly told the same press conference that some of the remains were believed to belong to months old infants.
What To Know
According to the Delaware County DA, detectives were conducting surveillance of the cemetery on January 6 at 8:00 p.m. when they found the suspect’s car with “numerous bones and skulls in plain view” on the back seat. Gerlach was then allegedly seen exiting the cemetery holding a burlap bag, crowbar and other assorted items.
Investigators say Gerlach admitted to taking approximately 30 sets of human remains. Officials believe that over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains have been recovered from Gerlach’s home and storage unit in Ephrata.
“They were in various states. Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf,” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said, according to Associated Press.
What People Are Saying
District Attorney Tanner Rouse in a press conference on January 8: “Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home. It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. 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.”
What Happens Next
The investigation is ongoing. Gerlach is currently remanded to George W. Hill Correctional Facility on a $1,000,000 bond. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for January 20, 2026.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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