Jonathan Gerlach arrest: Cops find more than 100 skeletal remains in man’s Ephrata, Pennsylvania home

YEADON, Pa. (WPVI) — A Lancaster County man is facing more than 500 charges after investigators say they discovered more than 100 human skeletal remains in his home.

Officers say a Tuesday night arrest of 34-year-old Jonathan Gerlach culminated a monthslong investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, where at least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been forced open since early November.

Police had been looking into the string of burglaries when an investigator checked Gerlach’s vehicle plates and found he had been near Yeadon repeatedly during the period when the burglaries occurred. Police say the break-ins centered on sealed vaults and mausoleums containing older burials, which had been smashed open or had stonework damaged to reach the remains inside.

He was arrested as he walked back toward his car with a crowbar at the 1855 cemetery, police said, and a burlap bag in which officers found the mummified remains of two small children, three skulls and other bones.

Gerlach told investigators he took about 30 sets of human remains and showed them the graves he stole from, police said.

Investigators said the arrest led to a search of Gerlach’s home in Ephrata, Lancaster County, where they found well over 100 skeletal remains.

“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene,” said Tanner Rouse, the Delaware County District Attorney. “Understand, some of these are 200 years old. Some obviously much newer, there’s one with a pacemaker still attached to the body.”

“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, because we found remains that we believe to be months-old infants among those that he had collected,” added Rouse.

Police believe the remains were also taken from other cemeteries throughout the region. They are also investigating a Facebook group titled “Human Bones and Skull Selling Group,” where Gerlach was tagged and pictured holding a skull.

“Very simply, detectives have recovered an awful lot of bones at this point, and we are still trying to piece together who they are, where they are from, and how many we are looking at. It’s going to be quite some time before we have a final answer,” stated Rouse.

Authorities said they do not yet know if any remains were sold or why Gerlach wanted them.

“The remains were in various states,” Rouse explained. “Some were hanging as it were. Some were pieced together, some were skulls on a shelf.”

Neighbors were shaken after learning about the charges.

“It’s supposed to be a nice, quaint little town, and here you have somebody with bodies in their house,” said Kim Hackman, of Ephrata.

“I just wanna know the motive, like why would someone do that?” asked Conner Barker, of Ephrata.

The gravesite is considered the country’s largest abandoned burial ground, according to Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, which helps maintain the 160-acre landmark in Yeadon that’s home to an estimated 150,000 grave sites.

Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco called the case one of the most disturbing he has ever seen.

“Rest in peace is rest in peace, and this is definitely something that tears at your heartstrings,” Giammarco said.

Police are working to identify the remains and notify families.

The full list of charges against Gerlach includes the following:

He is being held on $1 million bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 20, 2026.

The investigation remains ongoing

The Delaware CountyDistrict 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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.