Overview
- Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested Jan. 6 after detectives surveilling Mount Moriah Cemetery saw him leave with a burlap bag and crowbar and observed bones and skulls inside his vehicle.
- Searches of his Ephrata home and a storage locker recovered more than 100 human skeletal remains in varied conditions, with officials noting mummified parts, decomposing torsos and a body with a pacemaker.
- Authorities filed hundreds of counts including abuse of a corpse, theft, burglary and desecration, and a judge set bail at $1 million as Gerlach remains jailed.
- Investigators linked the suspect using license‑plate readers and cellphone location data during a probe into at least 26 break‑ins at mausoleums and underground vaults since early November.
- Detectives say Gerlach admitted taking about 30 sets of remains, and they are examining social media activity and possible sales as they work to identify victims and determine whether other cemeteries were targeted.