A 34-year-old man is facing nearly 500 charges after police found a trove of human remains he allegedly stole from graves in Pennsylvania.
Investigators caught Jonathan Gerlach of Ephrata coming out of the historic Mount Moriah Cemetery and Arboretum in Yeadon with a burlap bag and a crowbar.
‘To be able to sell body parts on the internet just appalls me, and I just think it should be stopped.’
In his car they discovered “numerous bones and skulls in plain view in the back seat.”
Gerlach allegedly admitted to stealing remains from more than 30 grave sites. Investigators were shocked when they searched his home and storage unit.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home,” said Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse at a press conference. “It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. 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.”
They found that Gerlach was a part of a Facebook group where people allegedly sold and purchased human remains.
On Friday, some of the burglary charges were dropped against Gerlach, but he faced additional charges from other counties.
Judy Prichard McCleary said her great-grandfather’s mausoleum from 1915 at Mount Moriah Cemetery was broken into, and many remains were stolen.
“It just made me sick to my stomach to think anyone would want to do that,” she added. “To be able to sell body parts on the internet just appalls me, and I just think it should be stopped.”
Law enforcement sources told KYW-TV that Gerlach had been caught with the remains of two children in the burlap bag. The sources indicate that a plea deal is being sought.
RELATED: 4 people arrested over numerous incidents of human remains found scattered across New York, bail reform lets them walk free
McCleary went on to say that sentencing for grave robbing should be stiffened to deter potential criminals.
“I think laws need to change,” she said. “And we can’t sweep it under the rug because it will just happen again in five years or six years or after I’m gone, and people will wonder, ‘Why didn’t you do anything?'”
Gerlach was given a bail of $1 million and is being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility.
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