Man arrested on nearly 500 charges, including 100 counts of abuse of Corpse after Skeletal remains are discovered in his home

An American man has been arrested on nearly 500 charges in connection with the burglaries of graves and mausoleums across Pennsylvania. Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested on Tuesday, January 6, at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, Penn., Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said in a statement. According to Rouse, authorities executed a search of Gerlach’s Ephrata, Penn., home, where they allegedly found hundreds of skeletal remains. On Thursday, Jan. 8, Gerlach was subsequently charged with 496 counts, including 100 counts of abuse of corpse, 100 counts of theft by unlawful taking, and 100 counts of receiving stolen property. The remaining 196 counts include 26 counts of burglary, 26 counts of criminal trespass, 26 counts of intentional desecration of a public monument, 26 counts of intentional desecration of a venerated object, 26 counts of intentional desecration of historical lots and burial places, and 26 counts of criminal mischief. Gerlach also faces 7 counts of “defiant trespasser fenced/enclosed,” and 7 counts of “defiant trespasser posted.” On Tuesday, Jan. 6, around 8 p.m., Yeadon Police Department Detective Leah Cesanek and Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Detective Chris Karr were surveilling the Mt. Moriah Cemetery.While there, the pair discovered numerous bones and skulls in plain view in the backseat of Gerlachs car. Gerlach was then seen exiting the cemetery holding a burlap bag, crow bar, and other assorted items, Rouse alleged in the statement.Gerlach was then taken into custody, and police say he admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains.  A search warrant for Gerlachs home was issued and executed. Once officers from the CID, the  Ephrata PD, and Middle Creek Search and Rescue arrived at his home and storage unit, they allegedly discovered over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains. “Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene,” Rouse said, according to the news release.  Rouse further alleged that some of the human remains were those of children, including remains belonging to months-old infants, according to ABC 6. He also claimed that some of the remains were 200 years old, while others were “much newer.” There’s one with a pacemaker still attached to the body,” Rouse added.Rouse said that the remains were found in various conditions. “Some were hanging as it were. Some were pieced together, some were skulls on a shelf,” he said, according to ABC 6. He alleged that the detectives recovered an awful lot of bones, and are still working to piece together who they are, where they are from, and how many we are looking at, per the outlet. It’s going to be quite some time before we have a final answer. Police believe the remains were also stolen from other nearby cemeteries. It is unclear whether Gerlach sold the remains and what motivated the collection. “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, Rouse said, according to the news release. Gerlachs arrest follows an investigation into the string of burglaries of graves and mausoleums between Nov. 7, 2025, and Jan. 6. In addition to investigating Gerlach, authorities are also investigating a Facebook group he was connected to, called “Human Bones and Skull Selling Group.” He was tagged and pictured holding a skull on the group page, ABC 6 reported.The post Man arrested on nearly 500 charges, including 100 counts of abuse of Corpse after Skeletal remains are discovered in his home appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.