Pennsylvania man accused of stealing cemetery remains appears in court
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A Pennsylvania man accused of stealing more than 100 human remains from a historic cemetery appeared in court Friday, where he reportedly waived his right to an evidentiary hearing.
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, appeared in Delaware County court wearing a lime green jail jumpsuit. Clean shaven, with her hair pulled back into a bun, she looked noticeably different from her booking photo. He spoke little during the brief hearing. FOX 29 Philadelphia.
Gerlach faces nearly 500 charges, including theft, abuse of a corpse and desecration of monuments, in connection with a disturbing investigation at Mount Moriah Cemetery near Philadelphia, according to the report.
THE DAUGHTER, WHOSE WEEKLY BOYFRIEND IS MISSING, WAS ACCUSED OF SENDING DISTURBING MESSAGES ON HER PHONE AND DESTROYING HERSELF
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at Mount Moriah Cemetery on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Delaware County District Attorney’s Office via AP/Google Maps)
At Friday’s hearing, prosecutors dropped two burglary charges but filed additional charges related to alleged break-ins at cemeteries in Lancaster and Luzerne counties, FOX 29 reported.
The case has shocked both investigators and the public since Gerlach’s arrest in January.
At the time, Delaware District Attorney Tanner Rouse described what detectives uncovered as “a horror movie come to life.”
Authorities say more than 100 complete or partial human and skeletal remains were recovered from Gerlach’s home and a warehouse in Ephrata.
MAN IN FLORIDA ALLEGEDLY FILLED HUMAN REMAINS IN TWO SUITCASES FOUND IN REMOTE ‘COMPONENT’
Grave markers are seen at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia on January 8, 2026. (Matt Rourke/AP)
Some of the remains are believed to be centuries old, while others are believed to be babies, according to prosecutors.
Police said Gerlach was first identified after surveillance officers at Mount Moriah Cemetery spotted bones and skulls inside his vehicle.
Investigators later observed him leaving the cemetery with a burlap sack, crowbar and other tools. Authorities allege he confessed to stealing nearly 30 sets of artifacts.
This was especially distressing for families whose loved ones were buried on Mount Moriah.
SKELETAL REMAINS FOUND BY HIKERS IN WASHINGTON STEA WOODS ARE IDENTIFIED AS A WOMAN MISSING SINCE 2024
Judy Prichard McCleary and Greg Prichard speak with reporters outside the Delaware County Courthouse in Media, Pennsylvania, on Friday, April 17, 2026, after an alleged crime spree involving the theft of more than 100 human remains from Pennsylvania cemeteries disturbed their relatives’ burial grounds. (Tassanee Vejpongsa/AP)
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“I believe their spirits are in heaven. I still think it’s devastating,” Judy Prichard McCleary, whose ancestors’ remains were disturbed, told the Associated Press. he said.
Gerlach remains behind bars in Delaware County with bail set at $1 million, according to FOX 29.
Court records do not indicate whether Gerlach entered a plea. The attorney representing him could not immediately be identified Friday.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.
