Investigators of the Yeadon Police Department and Delaware County had a shock of their lives when they discovered over 100 human skeletal remains from a Pennsylvania man’s house.
The man, identified as 34-year-old Jonathan Gerlach, had been stealing bones from a local cemetery for at least two months. The case first came to light in November 2025 when a non-profit group reported damage at Mount Moriah Cemetery, Yeadon.
The police then started surveying the site. Two months later, around 8 PM on January 6, 2026, the officers came across Gerlach at the cemetery. When they checked his car, they found multiple skulls and bones in the backseat.
🚨DISTURBING NEWS🚨
A Pennsylvania man has been arrested for the theft of over 100 human skeletons.
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, from Ephrata, faces numerous charges, including burglary, abuse of corpse, and desecration of venerated objects.
During surveillance at Mount Moriah… pic.twitter.com/UfrV2Dh2rs
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) January 9, 2026
Knowing that they had found the culprit who had been desecrating mausoleums and underground vaults, the police got a search warrant for Gerlach’s home. When they reached the location in Ephrata, they found more than 100 remains in Gerlach’s house and storage unit.
District Attorney Tanner Rouse described the case as a ‘horror film’ and said, “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.”
Authorities have revealed that Gerlach did not target any particular individual’s remains. Instead, some of the bones that he has stolen belong to individuals who were buried two centuries ago.
At the same time, other remains are recent, with one having a pacemaker still attached to the body. What makes the case even more gruesome is that a few of these skeletons also belonged to infants and kids.
The matter is still under investigation, and the authorities are trying to determine a motive behind Gerlach’s actions. A Facebook group has come to light that might offer some clues into the case.
Named Human Bones and Skull Selling, the group features a picture of Gerlach holding a skull. This hints that the accused might have been collecting human remains to sell them; however, nothing is confirmed as of now.
A central Pennsylvania man has been arrested and accused of stealing bones from Mount Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon. The Delaware County District Attorney has charged Jonathan Gerlach from Ephrata with Burglary, Abuse of Corpse and Desecration and theft or sale of venerated objects. pic.twitter.com/NYpXpobReO
— Madeleine Wright (@MWrightReports) January 8, 2026
Talking about the case, Rouse said in a press conference, “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.”
Gerlach is currently in custody and is being held at George W. Hill Correctional Facility, with his bond set at $1 million. He is facing a total of a whopping 496 charges.
These include 26 counts each of Burglary, Criminal Trespass, Intentional Desecration of Public Monument, Intentional Desecration of Venerated Object, Intentional Desecration of Historic Lots and Burial Places, and Criminal Mischief – Damage Property.
He is also facing a hundred counts each of Abuse of Corpse, Theft By Unlawful Taking, and Receiving Stolen Property, and seven counts of Defiant Trespasser. His first hearing is scheduled to take place on January 20, 2026.
