© Kimberly P. Mitchell/Imagn
Having skeletons in your closet is one thing, but 34-year-old Pennsylvania man Jonathan Gerlach took things several steps further recently when he was arrested after police found around 100 skeletons in the basement of his Lancaster County home.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said at a news conference that over 100 distinct remains were discovered in Gerlach’s basement. He added that the remains were in various states of decay, and ranged from skeletons older than 200 years to months-old infants.
Gerlach also kept multiple skulls displayed on shelves.
Skeletons In Basement Were Part Of Grave Robberies And Sold On Facebook
Yeadon, Pennsylvania, Mayor Rohan Hepkins told members of the media that the investigation began when he was notified by members of the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery group of mausoleum break-ins. Hepkins then notified police, who began patrols in the area.
Those patrols eventually led to Gerlach, who was arrested on Jan. 6 as he exited the cemetery.
Police stated in court documents that at the time of arrest, Gerlach was in possession of a burlap bag that contained remains, including the mummified remains of two small children, three skulls, and several other assorted bones.
On Dec. 23, a tipster from Lancaster County reported that two people he knew told him they’d found a partially decomposed body hanging in the basement of Gerlach’s home while they were visiting him.
But to make matters even creepier, Gerlach was in the business of selling these human remains.
Police found Gerlach’s Facebook account and found it tied to a group called “Human Bones and Skull Selling.” Messages within the group showed evidence of Gerlach’s involvement in the suspected sale of human remains to other group members.
Detectives then contacted the initial tipster, who told them that Gerlach’s social media pages were filled with “taxidermy, oddities, and skeleton collecting sites.”
Even his CashApp profile included a picture of him holding a human skull.
When police eventually caught Gerlach, they executed a search warrant of his home and found over 100 human skulls, two decomposing human torsos, and various other remains, including mummified feet and hands, long bones, and “other assorted skeletal items.”
He now resides in Delaware County Prison, where he’s awaiting a preliminary hearing on 574 charges, including burglary, abuse of corpse, and criminal trespassing.