A 34-year-old man accused of stealing more than 100 sets of human remains from a historic Philadelphia-area cemetery appeared in court Friday, where he waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Jonathan Gerlach, of Ephrata, faces nearly 500 charges related to the desecration of Mount Moriah Cemetery. Appearing in a lime green prison jumpsuit with his hair in a bun, Gerlach remained largely silent during the proceedings, FOX 29 reported.
Although two burglary charges were dropped, Gerlach now faces additional counts linked to cemetery burglaries in Lancaster and Luzerne counties.
The investigation into Gerlach began in January after members of the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery alerted authorities to widespread grave desecration, NBC News reported.
Prosecutors said detectives conducting surveillance observed Gerlach’s vehicle near the cemetery with bones and skulls visible in the back seat. Gerlach was later seen exiting the grounds carrying a burlap bag and a crowbar, according to the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office.
Following his arrest, investigators searched Gerlach’s home and a storage unit, where they discovered a vast collection of remains, including approximately 100 human skulls, mummified hands, feet and two decomposing torsos.
“They were in various states,” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse told reporters. “Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf.”
Investigators also recovered jewelry and a pacemaker believed to have been taken from the graves.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home,” Rouse said during a January press conference. “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.”
Family members of those buried at the cemetery, which spans Philadelphia and Delaware counties, attended the hearing on Friday, according to FOX 29.
Judy Prichard McCleary, whose ancestors’ mausoleum was among the 26 sites targeted, expressed her shock at the allegations.
“It just made me sick to my stomach to think anyone would want to do that,” she said. “To be able to sell body parts on the internet just appalls me and I just think it should be stopped.”
Authorities found an additional 100 remains during a search of Gerlach’s home and storage unit in Lancaster County. Among the sites targeted was the Prichard family mausoleum, built in 1915, where five of the nine crypts were tampered with and the remains of a great-great aunt were taken.
“I believe in the afterlife. I don’t believe my relatives were there, I believe their souls are in heaven,” McCleary said, “but I still think it’s disruptive and when you die and buried you should be left alone.”
Following the thefts, Mount Moriah Cemetery officials announced significant security upgrades.
John R. Schmehl Jr., president of the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, said the nonprofit was fast-tracking the expansion of its surveillance camera system and repairing several sections of fencing. As of mid-January, the organization had already spent $20,000 on mausoleum repairs and was seeking donations to cover further costs.
A day-long cleanup of the grounds is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, to help restore the site.
Gerlach remains held in Delaware County jail unable to post $1 million bail.
Authorities said the investigation was ongoing as they continued to identify the recovered remains and notify affected families.
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