PA - Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, grave robbery - months-long investigation, Ephrata *arrest 6 Jan 2026*

[TwinkieDefense]

Jan 9, 2026 article

100 skulls and mummified body parts found in grave robbery case, police say

Jonathan Christ Gerlach faces 100 counts of abuse of a corpse and other crimes.

www.ky3.com

[…]

Investigators later searched the Ephrata home and storage unit of Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, and reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos and other skeletal items.

[…]

 

[nao]

Moo...he has an Instagram where he sells pieces

 

[nao]

His Instagram

 

[tlcya]

I debated on looking for this thread after reading the headlines this morning. What a disgusting disturbed individual MOO

 

[iamshadow21]

His Instagram

Well, I'm sure investigators are grateful he documented all of his crimes right there.

I'm sure he thought that nobody would care. Nevermind that these were human beings who deserve dignity in death, however long ago that death took place.

I only hope that the money is available to DNA test everything, to ensure they replace the remains of all of the deceased in the correct graves.

MOO

 

[tlcya]

“Very simply, detectives have recovered an awful lot of bones at this point, and we are still trying to piece together who they are, where they are from and how many we are looking at, and it’s going to be quite some time before we have a final answer,” Rouse said.

It’s unclear what Gerlach is alleged to have been doing with the remains, Rouse added, noting that some of them were hundreds of years old. Another set of remains was found with a pacemaker, he said.
Over 100 human skulls found at home of Pennsylvania man accused of desecrating cemeteries

Officers say a Tuesday night arrest of 34-year-old Jonathan Gerlach culminated a monthslong investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, where at least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been forced open since early November.
[snip]
"Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene," said Tanner Rouse, the Delaware County District Attorney.

 

[nao]

Moo. I wonder if the police do know about the Instagram business. I doubt that they can return all pieces. That would be a huge amount of DNA testing...moo

 

[iamshadow21]

Moo. I wonder if the police do know about the Instagram business. I doubt that they can return all pieces. That would be a huge amount of DNA testing...moo

They can do it, though. They did in the recent Colorado Springs funeral fraud case.

And really, they have to. Not just for common decency, but because some of these victims may have surviving family. He didn't just prey on historic burials, one of his victims had a pacemaker. When he was arrested, he had remains of children in a sack. He's a degenerate parasite, and his victims had been given a proper burial. It's only right they're returned to where they belong.

MOO

 

[bettyboop]

@TwinkieDefense, Thank You for starting this thread. I was on Youtube and saw this , and wondered if there would be a thread. Thank goodness they found him, and actually did a stakeout I believe. He was even stealing jewelry. I agree that they need to find the money for DNA testing on all the remains so they can be returned to their proper gravesites. JMO MOO

 

[Lisbeth_S]

@TwinkieDefense, Thank You for starting this thread. I was on Youtube and saw this , and wondered if there would be a thread. Thank goodness they found him, and actually did a stakeout I believe. He was even stealing jewelry. I agree that they need to find the money for DNA testing on all the remains so they can be returned to their proper gravesites. JMO MOO

Same!

Am I the only one wondering if thy really are just dug up remains or if he has also killed some of them?

 

[iamshadow21]

Same!

Am I the only one wondering if thy really are just dug up remains or if he has also killed some of them?

There certainly is a crossover between murderers and necrophiles, but being one doesn't always mean you're the other.

It certainly does seem to have been a compulsion, to steal that volume of remains in a relatively short period of time. And for some, what begins as being satisfied by acquiring and handling remains escalates to only being sated by homicide.

It's possible he's killed, but it's equally possible they intervened before he took that step.

MOO

 

[ivylambs]

There’s an image of a child’s skull on his Instagram captioned, “This little booger was the first child I became caretaker of.” Awful, but also gives you a sense of his motivation.

This is so close to my hometown. Suddenly I feel relieved that most of my late relatives have been cremated.

 

[iamshadow21]

There’s an image of a child’s skull on his Instagram captioned, “This little booger was the first child I became caretaker of.” Awful, but also gives you a sense of his motivation.

This is so close to my hometown. Suddenly I feel relieved that most of my late relatives have been cremated.

I hate to tell you, but the big funeral scams and scandals I've heard of often involved fraudulent cremations. Tri State Crematory, for example.

We are at our most vulnerable when we are deceased. All we can do is hope that those entrusted with our mortal remains treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve.

MOO

 

[Lisbeth_S]

It's infuriating that this guy was passing himself as an expert in his bio, offering his services and selling human remains for collectors....all the while no one was wondering how he sourced human skeletons??

There certainly is a crossover between murderers and necrophiles, but being one doesn't always mean you're the other.

It certainly does seem to have been a compulsion, to steal that volume of remains in a relatively short period of time. And for some, what begins as being satisfied by acquiring and handling remains escalates to only being sated by homicide.

It's possible he's killed, but it's equally possible they intervened before he took that step.

MOO

You are absolutely right, one doesn't necessarily go with the other.

My comment simply stems from the number they gave...they mentioned 26 graves robbed, so the other 74+ skeletons must come from somewhere else. Unless those robbed were plots with multiple bodies in them, which also makes sense.

The next logical question for me is if he was getting pieces commissioned by collectors who knew exactly what he was doing, or did he lie to his buyers?

Regardless, this guy really pisses me off.

MOO

 

[iamshadow21]

It's infuriating that this guy was passing himself as an expert in his bio, offering his services and selling human remains for collectors....all the while no one was wondering how he sourced human skeletons??


You are absolutely right, one doesn't necessarily go with the other.

My comment simply stems from the number they gave...they mentioned 26 graves robbed, so the other 74+ skeletons must come from somewhere else. Unless those robbed were plots with multiple bodies in them, which also makes sense.

The next logical question for me is if he was getting pieces commissioned by collectors who knew exactly what he was doing, or did he lie to his buyers?

Regardless, this guy really pisses me off.

MOO

I think some of the robberies were of family vaults and crypts in a historic cemetery. A single crypt could have many individuals interred within.

MOO

 

[meanmaryjean]

What in the wide, wide world of sports? This is so disturbing.

 

[iamshadow21]

What in the wide, wide world of sports? This is so disturbing.

There is a grim illicit trade in remains. The Harvard Medical School/Creepy Creations scandal shone a light on that not long ago. Hopefully this person was a solo operator, not part of a network.

MOO

 

[DS2021]

His Instagram

A man was charged with stealing skulls and bones from a Philly cemetery. Police say he may have tried to sell them on Instagram.

Jonathan Christian Gerlach, who is charged with theft and related crimes, is pictured on the account among the remains.

www.inquirer.com

The caption of this photo seems to match up with the caption mentioned here, so I'd imagine that this is indeed his account

A partial skull — its surface darkened and pitted with age, mounted upright like an artifact — appears in the post. Staged against a floral backdrop, the photo is paired with a caption that reads: “if you know, you know. skulls/bones available. dm to inquire.”

 

[DS2021]

Here he is posing with a skull

 

[iamshadow21]

Here he is posing with a skull
View attachment 636229View attachment 636230

I wonder if he truly does have certification and qualifications. Obviously not for blatant smash and grab grave robbing, there's nothing legal about that.

But what he seems to be offering here is a kind of service that could be the equivalent of forging provenance for stolen or forged artwork. If he does have a degree or certification, he could potentially use that to create reports or documentation to make illegally obtained remains seem above board.

MOO