A disturbing discovery was made in Lancaster County after a man allegedly broke into Mount Moriah Cemetery, sparking an investigation that led to the uncovering of more than 100 human skeletal remains at his home. The cemetery, which spans over 160 acres and contains more than 150,000 graves, including those dating back to the Revolutionary War, is one of the largest in the state.
Jonathan Gerlach, a 34-year-old man from Ephrata, was arrested on Monday night after police spotted his vehicle parked next to the cemetery. When officers approached him, they found human bones and skulls visible in the back seat. Further investigation revealed that Gerlach had been caught breaking into a grave with a crowbar.
The search of Gerlach's home yielded a shocking discovery: over 100 human skeletal remains, including full and partial skeletons, name plates, jewelry, and other items. Some of the remains were hanging from ceilings or stacked on shelves like skulls in a macabre display. The investigation found that Gerlach had been targeting numerous cemeteries, some of which dated back over 100 years.
District Attorney Tanner Rouse described the scene as "a horror movie come to life," and stated that he has encountered cases with more shocking evidence, but none as disturbing as this one. Authorities are still investigating why Gerlach collected human remains and whether he sold any of the items allegedly stolen from grave sites. It is not clear what motivated him to commit these heinous crimes.
Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco Jr. called the case the most disturbing he has encountered in his 30-year career, saying it "tears at your heartstrings." The investigation also found that Gerlach was linked to a Facebook group selling human skeletal remains, although there is no indication of involvement with a Satanic cult.
Gerlach's girlfriend, who was not identified, was seen around the property where the remains were discovered. His bail has been set at $1 million. Anyone with information is urged to contact lead Detective Leah Cesanek or Detective Chris Karr.
The authorities are still trying to piece together what happened in Gerlach's home and how many other cemeteries he may have targeted. The discovery of these human remains serves as a grim reminder of the importance of respecting the deceased and the need for vigilance in protecting our cultural heritage sites.
Jonathan Gerlach, a 34-year-old man from Ephrata, was arrested on Monday night after police spotted his vehicle parked next to the cemetery. When officers approached him, they found human bones and skulls visible in the back seat. Further investigation revealed that Gerlach had been caught breaking into a grave with a crowbar.
The search of Gerlach's home yielded a shocking discovery: over 100 human skeletal remains, including full and partial skeletons, name plates, jewelry, and other items. Some of the remains were hanging from ceilings or stacked on shelves like skulls in a macabre display. The investigation found that Gerlach had been targeting numerous cemeteries, some of which dated back over 100 years.
District Attorney Tanner Rouse described the scene as "a horror movie come to life," and stated that he has encountered cases with more shocking evidence, but none as disturbing as this one. Authorities are still investigating why Gerlach collected human remains and whether he sold any of the items allegedly stolen from grave sites. It is not clear what motivated him to commit these heinous crimes.
Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco Jr. called the case the most disturbing he has encountered in his 30-year career, saying it "tears at your heartstrings." The investigation also found that Gerlach was linked to a Facebook group selling human skeletal remains, although there is no indication of involvement with a Satanic cult.
Gerlach's girlfriend, who was not identified, was seen around the property where the remains were discovered. His bail has been set at $1 million. Anyone with information is urged to contact lead Detective Leah Cesanek or Detective Chris Karr.
The authorities are still trying to piece together what happened in Gerlach's home and how many other cemeteries he may have targeted. The discovery of these human remains serves as a grim reminder of the importance of respecting the deceased and the need for vigilance in protecting our cultural heritage sites.
?? like what even is jonathan gerlach's deal? breaking into graves with a crowbar, collecting skulls & jewelry & displaying them like some kinda twisted collector 
he's got some serious issues, but i mean who does that, tho? 
anyway, i feel so bad for the families of these ppl whose remains are still at the cemetary... shouldn't they b safe?! 
and can u believe hes linked to a facebook group selling human bones?! 
what's wrong with ppl nowadays?! 
. I don't get why anyone would collect all this stuff. Is he trying to be some kind of morbid collector or something? It just doesn't make sense.
. I just wish someone could understand what drives people to do something so twisted and disturbing.
it's not about the money or anything else, it's just disrespecting people who are already gone 
gerlach's actions are a clear reminder that we need to be more mindful of our surroundings and look out for each other 
especially in places where history and culture are so rich and important 
The thought of all those skeletal remains stacked up or hanging from ceilings... it's just too much 
I hope they catch him and bring him to justice soon 
and can you believe he was selling these skeletal remains on facebook?! 
like, how low can you go?! 
the fact that he broke into the cemetery with a crowbar is just chilling... 
it's disturbing to think about all the other cemeteries he might have targeted and the people he could've disturbed or hurt... 
and those cemeteries he hit... some of them are over 100 years old. It's just not right. The fact that he had a Facebook group for selling human remains is already super disturbing, but now it sounds like there might be more to it than we know. 
and $1 million bail? yikes! this guy needs to get his priorities straight 
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. 100+ skeletons found at one person's home is just insane 
. What possessed Gerlach to do such a heinous crime? 
. It's heartbreaking to think about all those families who lost loved ones and now their remains are being used for someone's twisted gratification 
and i'm lowkey freaked out. the fact that there are over 100 remains, including jewelry and name plates, just makes it so much more disturbing. authorities need to find out what drove him to do this and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else 
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Gerlach's obsession with collecting human skeletal remains is just...wow. 100+ graves he's been desecrating, that's just sickening. And on top of that, selling these things online like they're some kind of macabre trinket 
. The fact that his girlfriend was around the property when it all went down, and she wasn't reported to the police...that raises so many questions. Is there more to this story than we know? Was Gerlach's obsession a result of something deeper? I need answers, ASAP 
️. The thought of all those people who had loved ones buried there, only to have their remains desecrated by this guy...it's just heartbreaking 
. I mean, 100+ human skeletal remains just lying around? It's mental to think about what might have driven someone to do that. 
. It's like he saw human remains as commodities or something. The police are right to say that this case is the most disturbing they've ever encountered - it really does "tear at your heartstrings" 
.
. This discovery is a grim reminder that we still have a lot of work to do to protect our vulnerable communities 
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gotta ask, how did the police even know he was breaking into cemeteries and not just, like, buying them from a collector or something? also, how do they know he wasn't just collecting these for, like, science or medical research purposes? gotta see some sources on this one before I start hailing him as the human skeleton king 