A Pennsylvania resident is now facing numerous charges after authorities reportedly uncovered “over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains” in his residence and a storage facility. The grisly discovery was described by the district attorney as resembling a “horror movie come to life.”

Jonathan Gerlach, 34, from Ephrata, Pennsylvania, was apprehended this week during a police investigation into a series of grave robberies at the Mount Moriah Cemetery, located near Philadelphia, as reported by the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office.

“Detectives stepped into what can only be described as a horror movie come to life,” District Attorney Tanner Rouse expressed on Thursday. “The scene is so shocking and unprecedented that neither myself, the detectives, nor the medical examiners tasked with understanding this have ever encountered anything like it before.”

Rouse further explained, “Detectives have now retrieved a significant number of bones, and the ongoing challenge is identifying them, determining their origins, and ascertaining the total number involved. This process will take quite some time.” He also mentioned that the remains include both months-old infants and others dating back hundreds of years.

Jonathan Gerlach was taken into custody at the Mount Moriah Cemetery near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, January 6, 2025. (Image courtesy of the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office via AP/Google Maps)

The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office said around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, police were conducting surveillance of Mount Moriah Cemetery “when they observed the suspect’s car with numerous bones and skulls in plain view in the back seat of the vehicle.” 

“Gerlach was then seen exiting the cemetery holding a burlap bag, crowbar and other assorted items. The offender was brought into custody where he admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains,” it continued. 

“Through investigation it is believed that over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains have been recovered from Gerlach’s home and storage unit in Ephrata. This investigation remains ongoing,” it added. 

The Mount Moriah Cemetery on the border of Philadelphia. (Google Maps)

Gerlach was charged with more than 450 counts, including 100 counts each of abuse of corpse, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

His bail was set at $1 million, with an arraignment hearing scheduled for Jan. 20. 

The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office said Jonathan Gerlach was seen exiting Mount Moriah Cemetery this week “holding a burlap bag, crowbar and other assorted items.” (Google Maps)

“I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through this, who are trying to figure out if it is in fact one of their loved ones,” Rouse said.