Local Man Arrested After Police Uncover Massive Collection of Human Remains and Grave Robbery Ring at Abandoned Cemetery
A shocking discovery has been made at an abandoned cemetery on the outskirts of Philadelphia, where police say they have found over 100 sets of mummified human remains, including skulls, bones, and even a pacemaker still attached to one individual. The haul was made after a monthslong investigation into a string of break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, which has been plagued by thefts since early November.
According to authorities, Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, targeted the cemetery's mausoleums and underground vaults, smashing open sealed compartments to steal human remains. The scale of his operation is staggering, with investigators finding over 100 sets of mummified hands and feet, as well as two decomposing torsos.
Gerlach was arrested on Tuesday night after police tracked him down near an abandoned cemetery. He was found carrying a crowbar and a burlap bag containing the remains of two small children, three skulls, and other bones. The officers discovered that Gerlach had been hoarding the remains in his basement, where he also stored jewelry believed to be linked to the graves.
The Delaware County District Attorney's office is still trying to understand the full extent of Gerlach's activities and why he targeted these particular victims. "Given the enormity of what we are looking at and the sheer, utter lack of reasonable explanation, it's difficult to say right now, at this juncture, exactly what took place," said District Attorney Tanner Rouse.
Gerlach has been charged with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, as well as multiple counts of desecrating a public monument, desecrating a venerated object, desecrating a historic burial place, burglary, trespassing, and theft. He is currently being held on $1 million bond.
A shocking discovery has been made at an abandoned cemetery on the outskirts of Philadelphia, where police say they have found over 100 sets of mummified human remains, including skulls, bones, and even a pacemaker still attached to one individual. The haul was made after a monthslong investigation into a string of break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, which has been plagued by thefts since early November.
According to authorities, Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, targeted the cemetery's mausoleums and underground vaults, smashing open sealed compartments to steal human remains. The scale of his operation is staggering, with investigators finding over 100 sets of mummified hands and feet, as well as two decomposing torsos.
Gerlach was arrested on Tuesday night after police tracked him down near an abandoned cemetery. He was found carrying a crowbar and a burlap bag containing the remains of two small children, three skulls, and other bones. The officers discovered that Gerlach had been hoarding the remains in his basement, where he also stored jewelry believed to be linked to the graves.
The Delaware County District Attorney's office is still trying to understand the full extent of Gerlach's activities and why he targeted these particular victims. "Given the enormity of what we are looking at and the sheer, utter lack of reasonable explanation, it's difficult to say right now, at this juncture, exactly what took place," said District Attorney Tanner Rouse.
Gerlach has been charged with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, as well as multiple counts of desecrating a public monument, desecrating a venerated object, desecrating a historic burial place, burglary, trespassing, and theft. He is currently being held on $1 million bond.
100+ mummified hands & feet? that's just creepy as heck 
I mean what could possibly drive someone to go through all that trouble? and the fact that he was carrying a crowbar and burlap bag with kids' remains... that's just chilling 
like, what kind of messed up person does that? 
#HumanRemains #CreepyCemetery #JusticeWillBeServed
and then to think he was just using them as props in his sick game of theft and hoarding 
gerlach needs to rot in prison for the rest of his life 
gerlach was collecting mummified hands and feet like he was collecting some weird art project 
i mean what's next? is it gonna be a human skeleton museum or something? 
its just...wow. i feel so bad for the families who lost loved ones at mount moriah cemetery. the investigators are still trying to understand why gerlach targeted these specific graves, but honestly, it's hard to even think about a motive that would justify such heinous crimes 
and those two small children? 
my heart goes out to their families, who are probably still grieving and trying to process this horrific revelation.
either way, he's got some serious charges against him, and i hope he spends a long time behind bars where he can't cause any more harm. 
. Gerlach's actions are a clear example of how we shouldn't judge people based on appearances - looks can be deceivin' 
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It's just so unsettling. I mean, 100 sets of mummified hands and feet alone is crazy! And the fact that he was hoarding them in his basement with other stolen stuff is just... no words. 
Did he have a personal connection to someone buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery? I wish we had more info on that.
... we were on a mission to find the world's largest sea cucumber, and it was leading us on this wild goose chase across the globe 
. Anyway, back to this news story... I mean, can you believe some people would do that to innocent graves? It's like, what even is wrong with people, right? And the fact that he had a pacemaker still attached to one of those bodies? That's just messed up 
. But I guess it makes me think about all these old cemeteries in Philly that are being abandoned and left to decay... have you ever been to a real-life haunted house? Like, a genuine creepy abandoned place with no one around? 
And he was doing all this in some abandoned cemetery? What's even more shocking is that the pacemaker on one of the bodies was still attached, can you believe that? 
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... can't even wrap my head around it - over 100 sets of mummified human remains? Like, what's next? Treasure hunting in a landfill? 
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? It's just so... creepy 
Gerlach's basement was literally just a warehouse for his dark collection of dead bodies 
i mean, I can see why they'd be trying to figure out what motivated him but honestly it sounds like he just had no shame whatsoever 
did he even care that these were people's families who were left behind? 