WASHINGTON — “Detectives stepped into what seemed like a real-life horror movie in that residence,” said Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse, vividly portraying the unsettling scene investigators faced. They were probing a Pennsylvania man suspected of pilfering human remains from a historic burial site and hoarding them in his home.

Jonathan Christ Gerlach, a 34-year-old resident of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, was apprehended on January 6. He faces numerous charges related to a series of thefts from graves and mausoleums at Mount Moriah Cemetery. This cemetery straddles the areas of Philadelphia and nearby Yeadon Borough, as reported by the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office.

Investigations suggest that Gerlach repeatedly targeted this cemetery from November 7, 2025, to January 6, 2026. Detectives had been called several times due to reports of desecrated graves and mausoleums, leading them to initiate surveillance efforts, according to authorities.

Investigators allege Gerlach targeted the cemetery repeatedly between Nov. 7, 2025, and Jan. 6, 2026. Detectives responded multiple times to reports of disturbed graves and mausoleums before launching surveillance operations, authorities said.

On the evening of Jan. 6, detectives conducting surveillance spotted Gerlach’s vehicle inside the cemetery and observed what appeared to be bones and skulls in plain view in the back seat, the DA’s office said. Investigators then watched as Gerlach exited the cemetery carrying a burlap bag, a crowbar and other tools before taking him into custody.

Authorities say Gerlach admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains. A search warrant executed later that night at his home and a storage unit in Ephrata, which is about 70 miles west of Philadelphia, led to the recovery of more than 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials said additional remains could still be identified.

“It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific,” Rouse said during a press conference. “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.”

Following a review of the evidence, prosecutors approved a sweeping list of charges against Gerlach, including 26 felony counts of burglary, dozens of criminal trespass counts, more than 100 separate counts of abuse of a corpse, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, and multiple counts related to desecration of burial places, public monuments and venerated objects. Prosecutors said in a statement that Gerlach faces a total of 500 separate charges.

Gerlach was arraigned and remanded to the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, where he remains held on $1 million cash bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 20. As of Jan. 8, no attorney was listed for him in court records.