Accused Delaware County grave robber due in court Friday

MEDIA, Pa. – Jonathan Gerlach, a Pennsylvania man accused of robbing several graves at a Delaware County cemetery, will appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday.

What we know:

Gerlach, 34, will appear in-person for his 10 a.m. hearing at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media.

He was charged in January with several crimes related to grave robberies, including burglary and abuse of a corpse.

Gerlach will be represented by a public defender, according to courthouse officials.

The backstory:

Gerlach was arrested at Mount Moriah Cemetery in January after investigators say he was found with a burlap bag containing 30 human remains, many of them children and those who have been dead for decades.

The investigation turned more sinister when detectives searched Gerlach’s home in Ephrata and found even more remains, including skulls, large bones, and jewelry taken from graves. Chester County District Attorney Tanner Rouse described the home as “a horror movie come to life.”

It’s alleged that Gerlach may have been selling remains on Facebook, and traveled to Chicago last year to sell a human skull. A tipster who first alerted police about Gerlach mentioned a partially decomposed corpse hanging in his basement.

Investigators later found eight more bodies in a storage locker located near Gerlach’s home. Neighbors previously told FOX 29 News that they were suspicious of Gerlach’s home after noticing flies swarming near the basement windows.

What we don’t know:

Authorities are still trying to determine if other cemeteries were affected and how long Gerlach’s activities have been ongoing. 

Investigators are seeking to understand the full extent of the operation and any potential connections to other individuals or groups.