Patriot Brief
What Happened: Pennsylvania authorities charged a man after discovering more than 100 human skeletons inside his home following an investigation into grave robberies.
Why It Matters: Detectives say the remains were stolen from graves and mausoleums, including children’s remains, raising serious concerns about cemetery security and public safety.
Bottom Line: Prosecutors describe the case as horrific and say the scale of the alleged crimes is almost unheard of.
This is the kind of story that makes your stomach turn, and it happened right in Pennsylvania.
Authorities say Jonathan Gerlach, 34, is facing more than 500 criminal charges after investigators uncovered over 100 human skeletons inside his home. Gerlach is being held on $1 million bail as prosecutors describe a months long campaign of grave robbing that reads like something out of a horror movie.
According to detectives, Gerlach allegedly targeted Mount Moriah Cemetery, where he is accused of burglarizing graves and mausoleums over the past two months. Police say surveillance caught him leaving the cemetery carrying a burlap bag and tools, a detail that should send chills down anyone’s spine.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home,” said DA Tanner Rouse. “It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific.”
Authorities say they discovered the mummified remains of two children inside the home. Gerlach also allegedly led investigators to seven underground vaults at the cemetery where he is accused of stealing at least 30 sets of remains. In another case, detectives believe he rappelled roughly 10 feet underground into a mausoleum crypt to access bodies.
One of the missing remains belonged to a young girl born in 1854 who died in 1869. Her crypt was found empty.
This case is not just disturbing. It is a reminder of how broken something has to be when basic respect for the dead disappears. Scripture teaches that even in death, human life carries dignity. Violating that is not just criminal. It is evil.
Prosecutors say they are working to identify the remains so families can finally have answers. For now, this is a grim reminder that real monsters do not always look like monsters. Sometimes they live quietly, until the truth is uncovered.
Photo Credit: Mugshot ofJonathan Gerlach, 34, (Delaware County District Attorney's Office) and a screenshot of a Facebook post referencing Gerlach over a photo of the home on Washington Avenue in Ephrata where authorities found more than 100 skulls and other human remains. (WHP)