Pennsylvania authorities believe they have caught a grave robber responsible for stealing more than 100 sets of human remains. Jonathan Gerlach of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, is facing numerous charges after he was allegedly caught in the act.

Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced Thursday that 34-year-old Gerlach was caught robbing a grave in the Mount Moriah Cemetery on Kingsessing Avenue. The historic 160-acre cemetery spans Southwest Philadelphia and the borough of Yeadon in Delaware County.

Rouse said police caught Gerlach on Tuesday after police executed a search warrant at Gerlach's home in Ephrata, Lancaster County. That's where they found 100 full or partial sets of human remains, including skulls and bones, in the basement. There were also eight separate remains found in a storage locker belonging to Gerlach. 

Authorities said some of the remains were 200 years old, and others belonged to newborns. 

Detectives are investigating whether Gerlach was selling the bones on Facebook. 

"Horror movie"

"Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life," Rouse said.

Gerlach has been charged with 26 counts of burglary and criminal trespassing, in addition to abuse of a corpse and desecration and theft or sale of venerated objects.

"It is truly in the most literal sense of the word horrific," Rouse said. "I grieve for those who are upset by this."

According to Rouse, some of the bones were hundreds of years old; others belonged to infants that were only months old.

Grave robbing investigation

An investigation into the grave thefts has been underway for several weeks, after cemetery staff noticed that some of the gravesites were disturbed and notified police. Officials determined that a total of 26 underground vaults and mausoleums were broken into or desecrated from November 2025 until the day Gerlach was caught.

Rouse added that it's possible Gerlach could've stolen remains from other cemeteries. 

"It almost certainly didn't only happen in Yeadon," he said. 

Forensics experts are still working to identify the recovered remains, and detectives are notifying the families affected. "Detectives have discovered an awful lot of bones at this point," Rouse said.

"After 30 years, I can probably say this is the most horrific thing that I've seen," Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco, Jr. said. "Rest in peace is rest in peace. This is definitely something that tears at your heartstrings."

Bail for Gerlach was set at $1 million.