Pennsylvania Man Arrested With Over 100 Human Skulls Hidden in Home After Cemetery Break-Ins
A Pennsylvania man faces more than 500 criminal charges after authorities discovered over 100 human skulls and remains stored in his residence and a separate storage facility.
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was taken into custody following a monthslong investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where at least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been forcibly opened.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced the discovery of skulls, long bones, mummified feet and decomposing torsos at locations connected to the suspect.
Gerlach was apprehended while leaving the cemetery grounds carrying a crowbar.
Officers observed bones and skulls in the back seat of a vehicle parked near the abandoned cemetery on Philadelphia’s outskirts.
During the arrest, authorities found a burlap bag containing mummified remains of two small children, three skulls and additional bones.
The suspect reportedly admitted to taking approximately 30 sets of human remains and identified the graves from which he removed them.
The investigation began around Halloween when authorities first noticed the mausoleum break-ins.
Rouse characterized the scene investigators encountered as disturbing.
“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,” Rouse said, according to Daily Mail reporting.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene,” Rouse added.
The remains varied significantly in age, with some dating back approximately 200 years while others were considerably newer.
At least one corpse was discovered with a pacemaker still attached.
Several of the recovered remains belonged to infants believed to have been only months old at the time of death.
The condition and positioning of the remains varied throughout the locations where they were stored.
“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,” Rouse reportedly said.
“They were in various states. Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf,” Rouse added.
Authorities indicated it will take considerable time to complete the identification process and determine the full scope of the case.
Rouse noted the complexity of piecing together the origins and identities of remains spanning two centuries.
“Understand, some of these are 200 years old. Some obviously much newer… It’s going to be quite some time before we have a final answer,” Rouse said.
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was taken into custody following a monthslong investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where at least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been forcibly opened.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced the discovery of skulls, long bones, mummified feet and decomposing torsos at locations connected to the suspect.
Gerlach was apprehended while leaving the cemetery grounds carrying a crowbar.
Officers observed bones and skulls in the back seat of a vehicle parked near the abandoned cemetery on Philadelphia’s outskirts.
During the arrest, authorities found a burlap bag containing mummified remains of two small children, three skulls and additional bones.
The suspect reportedly admitted to taking approximately 30 sets of human remains and identified the graves from which he removed them.
The investigation began around Halloween when authorities first noticed the mausoleum break-ins.
Rouse characterized the scene investigators encountered as disturbing.
“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,” Rouse said, according to Daily Mail reporting.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene,” Rouse added.
The remains varied significantly in age, with some dating back approximately 200 years while others were considerably newer.
At least one corpse was discovered with a pacemaker still attached.
Several of the recovered remains belonged to infants believed to have been only months old at the time of death.
The condition and positioning of the remains varied throughout the locations where they were stored.
“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,” Rouse reportedly said.
“They were in various states. Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf,” Rouse added.
Authorities indicated it will take considerable time to complete the identification process and determine the full scope of the case.
Rouse noted the complexity of piecing together the origins and identities of remains spanning two centuries.
“Understand, some of these are 200 years old. Some obviously much newer… It’s going to be quite some time before we have a final answer,” Rouse said.
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