Welcome to Arrest Stories. A thirty-four-year-old Pennsylvania man was arrested at a cemetery with human remains in his possession, leading to the discovery of over one hundred skeletal remains at his home. Here's what may have happened.
On January sixth, police arrested Jonathan Gerlach at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. Officers conducting surveillance observed Gerlach walking back toward his car carrying a crowbar at the eighteen fifty-five cemetery. When detained, police found Gerlach in possession of a burlap bag containing mummified remains of two small children, three skulls and other bones.
The arrest came after investigators discovered at least twenty-six mausoleums and vaults had been forced open since early November. The break-ins centered on sealed vaults and mausoleums containing older burials, which had been smashed open or had stonework damaged to reach the remains inside. Police connected Gerlach to the crimes by checking his vehicle plates, which showed he had been near Yeadon repeatedly during the period when the burglaries occurred.
Following Gerlach's arrest, investigators executed a search warrant at his home in Ephrata, Lancaster County. What they discovered prompted Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse to describe the scene in stark terms. "Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home. It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific," Rouse stated.
The search revealed over one hundred human skulls in Gerlach's basement, along with numerous long bones, mummified feet, decomposing torsos and other remains throughout the residence. Rouse explained the scope of what was found: "Understand, some of these are two hundred years old. Some obviously much newer, there's one with a pacemaker still attached to the body."
Investigators also discovered eight additional sets of human remains at Gerlach's storage locker. Among the recovered remains were what authorities believe to be months-old infants. "I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through it, who are trying to figure out if it is, in fact, their loved one or their child," Rouse said.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.