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bone Skull found in back seat of abandoned car cemetery lead police A horrific discovery – a basement full of body parts.
It was like a horror movie come to life as detectives uncovered more than 100 human remains during a raid on the home and storage room of a suspected grave robber in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
Jonathan Gerlach now faces nearly 500 charges after at least 26 mausoleums and crypts were stolen from Mount Moriah Cemetery since November.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie in that house,” District Attorney Tanner Rouse said at a news conference Thursday.
“It’s literally horrific. I feel sad for the people who are upset about this, who are going through this, trying to figure out if this is really their loved one.
“They’re in different states. Some are hanging. Some are pieced together, some are just skulls on a shelf.”
Most were in the basement, authorities said, and they also found jewelry believed to be associated with the tomb. In one case, the pacemaker remained attached.
Police said Gerlach targeted the mausoleum and catacombs at the 1855 cemetery. It is believed to be the largest abandoned cemetery in the country, according to the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, which helps maintain the 160-acre Eaton landmark with an estimated 150,000 burials.
Authorities learned of the alleged crime when a board member of a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving cemeteries called police to say the cemetery had been desecrated, nbc news report.
Police were investigating the series of break-ins, and an investigator ran Gerlach’s license plate and found he was seen in Eden’s neighborhood multiple times around the time the break-ins occurred.
“On January 6, 2026, at approximately 20:00, while conducting surveillance on the cemetery, detectives discovered a large number of bones and skulls in the back seat of the suspect’s car,” the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
“Gerlach was then seen leaving the cemetery carrying a burlap sack, a crowbar and various other items. The offender was detained and admitted to stealing approximately 30 human remains.”
Gerlach was charged with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, as well as multiple counts of desecration of a public monument, desecration of a revered object, desecration of a historic cemetery, burglary, trespassing and theft.
Gerlach is being held on $1 million bond. The investigation is ongoing and police are working to identify the remains and their families.
Eden Police Chief Henry Giamarco said this is the most disturbing case he has seen in his career.
“R.I.P. Rest in peace, it’s definitely a heart-wrenching thing,” he said.