Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Pennsylvania Man Charged After 100+ Skeletons Recovered in Mount Moriah Grave Thefts

Prosecutors set bail at $1 million, with forensic teams working to identify the recovered remains.

Overview

  • Police say they caught 34-year-old Jonathan Gerlach allegedly robbing a grave at Mount Moriah Cemetery on Jan. 6.
  • Investigators recovered more than 100 human skeletons from his Ephrata home and found eight additional skeletons in a storage unit tied to him.
  • He faces 26 counts of burglary and criminal trespass, along with abuse of a corpse, desecration, and theft or sale of venerated objects.
  • Officials report the remains range from centuries-old bones to infants only months old, and forensic identification is ongoing.
  • Authorities say the thefts likely occurred beyond Yeadon, and Gerlach is held at George W. Hill Correctional Facility with bail set at $1 million.