Pennsylvania Man Faces Hundreds of Charges After Police Find Over 100 Human Skeletons in Ephrata Home
PENNSYLVANIA — A months-long investigation into cemetery thefts across the state has exploded into one of the most disturbing criminal cases Pennsylvania has seen in years. Police say Jonathan Gerlach, a 34-year-old man from Ephrata, was arrested after detectives uncovered more than 100 human skulls and extensive human remains inside his home, along with additional bodies and body parts stored in a nearby storage unit. Gerlach is now jailed on more than 500 criminal charges, including abuse of corpse, burglary, theft, and related offenses, according to court records obtained by CBS 21.
Tip Leads Police to a Grisly Discovery
The case broke open after investigators received a tip on December 23, 2025, submitted through the Lancaster City Police Department’s CrimeWatch system. At the time, detectives were already investigating a string of burglaries involving stolen remains from cemeteries across Pennsylvania. The tipster told police they knew someone who had recently been inside Gerlach’s home and allegedly saw a partially decomposed human corpse hanging in the basement. The timing aligned with a November robbery at a Luzerne County mausoleum. The tip also flagged Gerlach’s recent retail theft charges in East Earl Township and pointed investigators to his social media presence.
Social Media and Online Sales Raise Red Flags
Detectives say Gerlach’s online activity raised immediate alarms.
According to search warrants, Gerlach followed dozens of accounts related to skeleton collecting, taxidermy, human skull sales, oddities markets, and bone museums. Investigators also found him associated with a Facebook group titled “Human Bones and Skull Selling Group.” In one post reviewed by police, a user publicly thanked Gerlach for providing a “human skin bag.” On CashApp, Gerlach’s profile photo allegedly showed someone holding what appeared to be a human skull in front of their face.
The tipster further claimed Gerlach had disappeared for several days in November and said he had traveled to Chicago to sell a human skull.
Caught at a Cemetery
Using phone records and vehicle tracking, detectives linked Gerlach to multiple visits to Mount Moriah Cemetery in the Philadelphia area. On January 6, 2026, a detective allegedly caught Gerlach in the act of stealing human remains from the cemetery. According to search warrants, Gerlach admitted during questioning that he had sold some remains online, but said most of them were stored in the basement of his Ephrata home, located in the 100 block of Washington Avenue.
What Police Found Inside the Home
A search of the residence on January 7 uncovered a scene investigators described as overwhelming:
• Over 100 human skulls
• Numerous human long bones
• Mummified human hands and feet
• Two decomposing human torsos
• Additional unidentified skeletal remains
Detectives also interviewed Gerlach’s fiancé, who told police he rented a storage locker at KO Storage on East Main Street in Ephrata.
Storage Locker Contained More Corpses
Gerlach initially refused consent to search the storage unit, claiming it held only personal property. Investigators then deployed a cadaver dog, which alerted to the presence of human remains. A search warrant was executed on January 8. Inside the locker, detectives recovered eight additional human corpses, assorted body parts, ashes, and older jewelry believed to have been removed from graves.
Charges and Jail Status
Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams confirmed Gerlach has been arraigned on hundreds of charges stemming from multiple counties. He is currently being held at the Delaware County Prison on $1 million bail. Authorities say the investigation remains active, with detectives still working to identify victims, determine how many cemeteries were targeted, and trace the sale of remains across state lines. Police have not ruled out additional charges or further arrests as the scope of the operation continues to unfold.
