Bones and skulls seen within the again seat of a automotive close to an deserted cemetery on Philadelphia’s outskirts led police to a basement stuffed with physique elements, which authorities say have been hoarded by a person now accused of stealing about 100 units of human stays.
Officers say a Tuesday evening arrest culminated a monthslong investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, the place at the least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been pressured open since early November.
Investigators later searched the Ephrata dwelling and storage unit of Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, and reported discovering greater than 100 human skulls, lengthy bones, mummified arms and ft, two decomposing torsos and different skeletal gadgets.
“They have been in varied states. A few of them have been hanging, because it have been. A few of them have been pieced collectively, some have been simply skulls on a shelf,” Delaware County District Legal professional Tanner Rouse stated.
Most have been within the basement, authorities stated, they usually additionally recovered jewellery believed to be linked to the graves. In a single case, a pacemaker was nonetheless connected.
Police say Gerlach focused mausoleums and underground vaults on the 1855 cemetery. It is thought of the nation’s largest deserted burial floor, in accordance with Pals of Mount Moriah Cemetery, which helps preserve the 160-acre landmark in Yeadon that is dwelling to an estimated 150,000 grave websites.
Police had been wanting into the string of burglaries when an investigator checked Gerlach’s car plates and located he had been close to Yeadon repeatedly through the interval when the burglaries occurred. Police say the break-ins centered on sealed vaults and mausoleums containing older burials, which had been smashed open or had stonework broken to achieve the stays inside.
He was arrested as he walked again towards his automotive with a crowbar, police stated, and a burlap bag during which officers discovered the mummified stays of two babies, three skulls and different bones.
Gerlach instructed investigators he took about 30 units of human stays and confirmed them the graves he stole from, police stated.
“Given the enormity of what we’re taking a look at and the sheer, utter lack of affordable clarification, it’s tough to say proper now, at this juncture, precisely what happened. We’re attempting to determine it out,” Rouse instructed reporters.
Gerlach was charged with 100 counts every of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, together with a number of counts of desecrating a public monument, desecrating a honored object, desecrating a historic burial place, housebreaking, trespassing and theft.
He’s jailed on $1 million bond. No lawyer was listed in court docket data. A message in search of remark was texted to a cellphone linked to him.
