Pennsylvania Man Appears in Court on Charges of Stealing Over 100 Sets of Human Remains

A 34-year-old Pennsylvania man, Jonathan Gerlach, has appeared in court on charges of stealing more than 100 sets of human remains. He attended a hearing at Delaware County Court on April 19. Unlike his mugshot, he presented a noticeably different, neat appearance, having shaved and tied back his hair, and he spoke little during the brief proceeding.

Gerlach faces nearly 500 charges, including grave robbing, abuse of a corpse, and desecration of a monument, in connection with incidents at Philadelphia's historic Mount Moriah Cemetery. More than 100 sets of human remains and skeletons were found at Gerlach's Ephrata home and a storage unit.

Police first identified Jonathan Gerlach after discovering bones and skulls in a vehicle at Mount Moriah Cemetery. Investigators later witnessed him leaving the cemetery carrying tools such as burlap sacks and a crowbar. Families of those buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery have suffered greatly.

Gerlach is currently held at the Delaware County Jail on $1 million bail. Court records do not indicate whether Gerlach has pleaded guilty to the charges. His defense attorney had not been identified as of Friday.