The Pennsylvania Ghoul: Cops Say His Alleged Crimes Were Very Sloppy
Jonathan Gerlach, a Pennsylvania man, has been accused of committing a chilling crime â stealing more than 100 skeletal remains from gravesites. However, prosecutors claim that Gerlach’s methods were far from being that of a criminal mastermind.
According to new legal documents obtained by TMZ, Gerlach allegedly went about his macabre activities in a sloppy manner, turning his Pennsylvania home into a haunted house of horrors. Prosecutors revealed that Gerlach left behind a trail of evidence at the crime scenes, including cigarettes, Monster Energy, Liquid Death, and NOS Energy cans in the crypts he allegedly burglarized. Shockingly, he even used his Ace Hardware Rewards Card to purchase tools used in breaking into the graves.
During a search of Gerlach’s home in Ephrata, PA, authorities made a gruesome discovery â 100 sets of full or partial human remains in his basement. Prosecutors detailed how Gerlach’s family had reportedly witnessed a partially decomposed corpse hanging in the basement but were too terrified to contact the police.
Additionally, Gerlach confessed to selling some of the stolen remains online, although this only accounted for a fraction of the human remains found in his possession. Prosecutors revealed that Gerlach targeted four underground vaults at Mount Moriah Cemetery, gaining entry by moving heavy stone and marble slabs.
In another shocking twist, prosecutors detailed how Gerlach left behind incriminating evidence at the crime scenes, such as cigarette butts, Liquid Death, and NOS Energy drinks, next to plastic tarps containing human remains. This lack of discretion in covering his tracks ultimately led to his downfall.
In November, authorities were alerted to a robbed mausoleum at a cemetery, where they found destroyed marble flooring and a white nylon rope with a carabiner attached â suggesting that the perpetrator had rappelled 10 feet down into the crypt.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse has filed a litany of charges against Gerlach, including criminal mischief, criminal trespass, intentional desecration of a public monument, and abuse of a corpse. The case of the Pennsylvania Ghoul serves as a chilling reminder of the horrors that can unfold when the boundaries of morality are crossed.
