Overview
- Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested Jan. 6 after detectives saw him leave Mount Moriah Cemetery with a burlap sack; officers found mummified remains of two children, three skulls and other bones.
- Searches of his Ephrata home and a storage unit on Jan. 7 uncovered more than 100 sets of remains, including skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos, jewelry and a pacemaker.
- Investigators link him to at least 26 forced-open mausoleums and underground vaults since November using license-plate readers, cellphone records and surveillance.
- Prosecutors filed numerous counts, including burglary, desecration and 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property; bail is set at $1 million at George W. Hill Correctional Facility.
- Authorities have not determined a motive or whether remains came from other cemeteries or were sold, and forensic work to identify victims will take time.