Pennsylvania

100 skulls and mummified body parts found in a Pennsylvania grave robbery case, police say | CNN

Published

6 months ago

January 10, 2026

100 skulls and mummified body parts found in a Pennsylvania grave robbery case, police say | CNN

AP
—

Bones and skulls visible in the back seat of a car near an abandoned cemetery on Philadelphia’s outskirts led police to a basement filled with body parts, which authorities say were hoarded by a man now accused of stealing about 100 sets of human remains.

Officers say a Tuesday night arrest culminated a monthslong investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where at least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been forced open since early November.

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.

“They were in various states. Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf,” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said.

Most were in the basement, authorities said, and they also recovered jewelry believed to be linked to the graves. In one case, a pacemaker was still attached.

Police say Gerlach targeted mausoleums and underground vaults at the 1855 cemetery. It’s considered the country’s largest abandoned burial ground, according to Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, which helps maintain the 160-acre landmark in Yeadon that’s home to an estimated 150,000 grave sites.

Police had been looking into the string of burglaries when an investigator checked Gerlach’s vehicle plates and found he had been near Yeadon repeatedly during the period 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 damaged to reach the remains inside.

He was arrested as he walked back toward his car with a crowbar, police said, and a burlap bag in which officers found the mummified remains of two small children, three skulls and other bones.

Gerlach told investigators he took about 30 sets of human remains and showed them the graves he stole from, police said.

“Given the enormity of what we are looking at and the sheer, utter lack of reasonable explanation, it’s difficult to say right now, at this juncture, exactly what took place. We’re trying to figure it out,” Rouse told reporters.

Gerlach was charged with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, along with multiple counts of desecrating a public monument, desecrating a venerated object, desecrating a historic burial place, burglary, trespassing and theft.

He is jailed on $1 million bond. No lawyer was listed in court records. A message seeking comment was texted to a cellphone linked to him.

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Pennsylvania

The Dish: Caesar salad with a twist from Rivertown Taps in Phoenixville, Pa.

Published

6 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

The Dish: Caesar salad with a twist from Rivertown Taps in Phoenixville, Pa.

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (WPVI) — We are heading to Rivertown Taps in historic Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, to make a classic fan favorite, Caesar salad.

And when they say “taps,” they mean it.

There are dozens of drinks, beer and beyond, on tap at Phoenixville’s first self-serve drink tap wall.

“Phoenixville has always been a very beer-centric town, and we’re beer-centric people, so we wanted to have a really curated selection,” says Chef Owner Lewis Leiterman. “We have 36 drinks on tap.”

Just grab a charge card, choose your glassware and choose your own adventure.

“You pay for whatever you pour by the ounce,” says Leiterman. “You can pour as much or as little as you like.”

The building dates back to the 1800s, and Leiterman made sure to preserve pieces of that history, while bringing something super fresh to the strip.

“We make pastas from scratch,” he says. “We extrude all of our own pastas in house. We do all of our fresh-filled pastas all by hand. We make all our own breads. Everything that’s in here is from scratch.”

The mission includes a commitment to locally sourced food.

Today, we’re making a house favorite: the Caesar salad – with a twist.

“I hate chasing croutons around a salad, like, the fork never kind of sticks into it,” says Leiterman. “We still wanted that crunch factor, like the classic crouton, but different. What we did was we took some of our old bread and we kind of toasted it up and made a coarse panko texture.”

It’s becomes a universal crouton that makes its way throughout the salad.

“We like to feature seasonal vegetables in our Caesar salad, just for a little bit more flavor and nutrition,” says Leiterman.

He grills up some nice asparagus, and then adds some protein.

“I love a soft boiled egg on a salad to add more sustenance to a salad and a little bit of heartiness to it,” he says.

The build starts with a mix of greens, like red romaine and red watercress.

The dressing gets a gourmet kick.

“We do a black garlic and truffle Caesar,” he says. “We don’t like to overdress it. My pet peeve is those thick Caesar dressings.”

Add the asparagus to gently warm the salad, shave on some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, add the soft boiled egg and finally, the breadcrumbs.

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Pennsylvania

Pa. sees growth in over-65 residents, but overall population stagnates

Published

16 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Pa. sees growth in over-65 residents, but overall population stagnates

Pennsylvania’s over-65 population is growing faster than any other age group in the commonwealth, now making up more than one-fifth of the state’s residents, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data.

The federal agency estimates about 2.8 million Keystone State residents are 65 or older, an increase of about 13% since the last nationwide census was published in 2020.

Overall, the state’s population has remained stagnant at about 13 million since the last census. And many age groups — including children and younger adults — have actually declined in number over the past five years, according to the estimates released June 25.

The median age for a Pennsylvanian is now 41.4, compared to 41 in 2020.

How does Pa. compare to the rest of the U.S.?

Pennsylvania’s increase in older adults matches national trends, as the number of people 65 and older grew by about 9 million across the U.S. since 2020, the estimates suggest. As in the Keystone State, the population of people younger than 18 has fallen over the past several years, as did the number of people in midlife.

Overall, the nation’s population has climbed by an estimated 3.1%, or about 10.3 million people, since 2020.

However, Southern states showed more rapid growth that spanned all age categories, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“The South stands out because it is seeing population gains in age groups that in other regions saw little change or are declining, reflecting its strong positive migration patterns this decade,” Lauren Bowers, a Census Bureau official, said in a statement.

What does the aging trend mean for Pa.?

Policymakers are working to prepare for Pennsylvania’s continued graying and the needs that will come along with these demographic shifts. By 2030, one in three commonwealth residents are projected to be over age 60, according to state officials.

But advocates stress the need for more resources to support Keystone State residents as they age, pointing to caregiver shortages and barriers to healthcare access in rural areas.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration in 2024 released a 10-year plan for getting the state ready, laying out strategies for supporting people who want to age at home, expanding transportation options and increasing the number of caregivers.

Bethany Rodgers is a USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania investigative journalist focusing on health and education.

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