More than 100 sets of human remains have been discovered in a suspected grave robber's home and storage unit in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, prompting prosecutors to describe the scene as a 'horror movie come to life'. Jonathan Gerlach now faces nearly 500 charges after at least 26 mausoleums and vaults were burglarised at Mount Moriah Cemetery since November.
District Attorney Tanner Rouse said detectives found remains in various states, some hanging, some pieced together, and others just skulls on a shelf. Jewellery believed to be linked to the graves was also recovered, and in one case a pacemaker was still attached to a body.
Police were alerted to the crimes when board members of the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, a nonprofit group that maintains the 1855 burial ground, reported desecrated grave sites. The cemetery is considered the country's largest abandoned burial ground, with an estimated 150,000 grave sites across 160 acres.
An investigator checked Gerlach's vehicle plates and found he had been near Yeadon repeatedly during the burglaries. On January 6, 2026, detectives conducting surveillance observed bones and skulls in plain view in the back seat of his car. Gerlach was seen exiting the cemetery holding a burlap bag and a crowbar, and admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains.
Gerlach has been charged with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, along with multiple counts of desecrating a public monument, desecrating a venerated object, desecrating a historic burial place, burglary, trespassing and theft. He is being held on a $1 million bond. The investigation is ongoing as police work to identify the remains and locate any family members.
