A Pennsylvania man is accused of stealing more than 100 skeletons from cemeteries in Delaware County, Philadelphia, and Luzerne County. Jonathan Gerlach, 34, of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, is charged with 26 counts of theft, 26 counts of criminal trespass, 100 counts of abuse of a corpse, 100 counts of receiving stolen property, 26 counts of intentional desecration of a public monument, and other related offenses.

How the police identified Jonathan Gerlach as a suspect

Court documents obtained by NBC10 revealed details about the robberies and how investigators identified Gerlach as the suspect. According to the criminal complaint, the thefts occurred between November 7, 2025, and January 6, 2026, in the Delaware County and Philadelphia sections of Mount Moriah Cemetery, as well as in a cemetery in Plains Township, Luzerne County. In total, 26 mausoleums and underground burial sites were robbed or desecrated at Mount Moriah Cemetery, investigators said.

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body { font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f4f4f4; margin: 40px; color: #333; } h1, h2 { color: #2c3e50; } .container { background: #ffffff; padding: 25px; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 0 10px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); } ul { line-height: 1.8; } Throughout their investigation, the detectives collected numerous pieces of evidence from the crime scenes, including energy drink cans, cigarettes, a pair of glasses, a zip tie, and tools. In late December, as the investigation continued, Plains Township and Yeadon police learned of a lead that had been sent to the Lancaster City Police Department. The tip, which was sent on December 20, 2025, identified Jonathan Gerlach as a possible suspect in the robbery of the Luzerne County mausoleum. According to the informant, witnesses had seen a partially decomposed corpse hanging in the basement of Gerlach’s house in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. The informant also posted Gerlach’s Instagram account, which, according to investigators, included posts about taxidermy, collecting and selling skeletons, oddities, and bone museums.

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The police also identified Gerlach as the suspect in a robbery at a hardware store in East Earl Township, Pennsylvania, in which a headlamp, a rechargeable LED light bar, gloves, and tools commonly used in robberies were stolen. The researchers also determined that Gerlach was a member of a “Sale of human bones and skulls” group on Facebook and saw a post in which a member thanked him for selling him an item. Police also searched Gerlach’s CashApp account, which displayed a photo of a person holding what appeared to be a human skull in front of their face, and identified Gerlach’s vehicle, which they said was circulating near the locations and on the dates of the cemetery robberies reported, according to the criminal complaint.

The Arrest of Jonathan Gerlach

On Tuesday, January 6, around 8 p.m., detectives were conducting surveillance in the Philadelphia section of Mount Moriah Cemetery, at the intersection of Cemetery and Chester avenues, when they spotted a vehicle with numerous bones and skulls in the back seat, according to authorities. The driver, later identified as Jonathan Gerlach, was seen leaving the cemetery with a burlap bag, a crowbar, and other objects, police reported. The investigators apprehended Gerlach. Then, he allegedly admitted to stealing about 30 sets of human remains. Then, investigators executed a search warrant at his home on Washington Avenue in Ephrata and recovered 100 human skeletons, as well as eight more human remains inside a warehouse that Gerlach owned on East Main Street in Ephrata, according to the criminal complaint. “The other night, detectives encountered a horror movie that came to life,” said Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse during a press conference on Thursday. “This is an incredible scene that none of those involved — from me to the detectives and the forensic doctors who are now trying to reconstruct what they are seeing, literally — had ever seen.” Rouse said that some of the stolen skeletons are hundreds of years old. “We are trying to determine exactly what we are seeing,” Rouse said. “Simply put, at this moment we cannot date or identify them all.” Rouse also said that some of the skeletons are of babies and children. “It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrible,” Rouse said. “I feel sorry for those who are distressed by this and who are going through this, trying to find out if it’s their loved one or their child, because we found remains that we believe correspond to babies of months among those he had collected. We sympathize with each family affected by this.” Gerlach is currently being held at Delaware County Prison after failing to post a $1 million bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 20, 2026. Online court records do not include a lawyer who can speak on your behalf.

Is it illegal to buy or sell human bones?

In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, it is not illegal to buy or sell human bones. What is illegal is the theft and looting of graves, as well as the interstate trafficking of stolen goods.

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So, what would someone want to do with another person’s bones? Well, there’s a whole market for them. NBC10 investigators looked into the business. Although court documents show that most of the business is done online, investigators found that a Facebook group has more than 5,300 people following it. People send messages from all over the world and the items usually cost a few hundred dollars. There are also shops where human bones can be bought and where complete skeletons can cost up to $7,000. While Gerlach is in custody, the investigation continues. Anyone with information about the robberies should contact Detective Leah Cesanek at 610-623-1500 or Detective Chris Karr at 610-891-4700.