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Man faces nearly 500 charges for stealing human remains from cemetery
Jonathan Gerlach appeared in Delaware County court to face hundreds of charges related to stolen human remains from Mount Moriah Cemetery, with new charges filed and some dropped.
DELAWARE COUNTY - Jonathan Gerlach appeared in Delaware County court Friday to waive his preliminary hearing on nearly 500 charges related to stolen human remains from Mount Moriah Cemetery, according to FOX 29’s Chris O’Connell.
Gerlach faces hundreds of charges
What we know:
Gerlach appeared in court clean-shaven, with his hair in a bun, wearing glasses and a lime green prison jumpsuit, which was a different look from his booking photo.
He waived his preliminary hearing and learned that two burglary charges against him were dropped, but he now faces new charges for cemetery burglaries in Lancaster and Luzerne Counties.
Inside the courtroom, Gerlach said very little as he faced nearly 500 charges, including burglary, abuse of corpse and desecration of monuments.
He remains in Delaware County jail, unable to post $1 million bail.
Family members react to the case
What they're saying:
"It just made me sick to my stomach to think anyone would want to do that," said Judy Prichard McCleary, whose ancestors’ remains were stolen from the Prichard family mausoleum at Mount Moriah Cemetery. "To be able to sell body parts on the internet just appalls me and I just think it should be stopped," said McCleary.
Greg Prichard said, "We’ve all seen the pictures of him online. And how he presented himself before his arrest. And it was interesting to see how different he looked in court."
McCleary added, "I believe in the afterlife I don’t believe my relatives were there I believe their souls are in heaven, but I still think it’s disruptive and when you die and buried you should be left alone."
Back in January, Yeadon Police said Gerlach was caught at Mount Moriah with a burlap bag filled with the bones of children and several skulls.
A search of his Lancaster County home and storage unit found a hundred more remains. Five of the nine crypts in the Prichard family mausoleum, built in 1915, were disturbed and the body of a great-great aunt was stolen.
The Prichard family said they plan to continue coming to court to honor their ancestors.
Mount Moriah Cemetery cleanup planned
Mount Moriah Cemetery is holding a day-long cleanup of its aging cemetery and mausoleums on Sunday, April 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The event aims to restore and maintain the cemetery grounds after recent events have brought attention to its condition.
What we don't know:
It is not yet clear how many total remains were stolen or if additional charges may be filed in the future.
The Source: Information from Delaware County court proceedings.