Grave Robber’s SHOCKING Online Skull Empire

(Oldglorychronicle.com) – A Pennsylvania man’s months-long grave robbing spree has exposed a disturbing underground market where human remains are sold online like collectibles, revealing how digital platforms enable the desecration of our ancestors for profit.

Story Overview

Jonathan Gerlach, 34, faces over 500 charges after stealing dozens of sets of human remains from Mount Moriah Cemetery
Police discovered more than 100 skulls at his home and eight corpses in his storage unit
He admitted to selling stolen remains online through social media groups and Cash App transactions
The case exposes unregulated digital marketplaces facilitating trade in human body parts

Methodical Cemetery Burglary Operation

Jonathan Gerlach conducted a sophisticated grave robbing operation from November 2025 through January 2026, targeting Mount Moriah Cemetery near Philadelphia. Court documents reveal he rappelled into 10-foot-deep mausoleums using rope and carabiners, then pried open underground vaults to access remains dating back over 100 years. His systematic approach included burglarizing at least 26 burial sites, affecting families with surnames like Slack, Ogden, McCullough, and Louber.

The Ephrata resident’s careful planning involved traveling over an hour from Lancaster County to Delaware County, bringing specialized tools including crowbars and burlap bags. On December 20, 2025, alone, he burglarized four underground vaults in a single day. His operation only unraveled when a tipster reported seeing a partially decomposed corpse hanging in his basement, prompting police surveillance that led to his January 6, 2026 arrest.

Disturbing Online Human Remains Market

Search warrants revealed Gerlach’s active participation in digital communities dedicated to trading human body parts as “oddities.” He maintained accounts on Instagram following bone collectors, belonged to a Facebook “Human Bones and Skull selling group,” and used Cash App with a skull profile picture for transactions. Investigators discovered he had traveled to Chicago specifically to sell a human skull and had shipped what he described as a “human skin bag” to buyers.

This case exposes a largely unregulated online marketplace where human remains are treated as collectibles rather than sacred reminders of human dignity. The ease with which Gerlach operated through mainstream social media platforms and payment processors demonstrates how technology has enabled the commodification of what should be treated with reverence. His admission to selling remains online while storing “the vast majority” in his basement suggests a thriving demand for such macabre merchandise.

Massive Evidence Recovery and Legal Consequences

Police executed search warrants at Gerlach’s Ephrata home and storage unit, uncovering a house of horrors that reads like something from a nightmare. The basement contained more than 100 human skulls, numerous long bones, mummified hands and feet, and two decomposing torsos. His storage unit held eight complete corpses, additional body parts, cremated ashes, and grave jewelry stolen during his cemetery raids.

Gerlach now faces more than 500 criminal charges including burglary, abuse of corpse, and desecration of venerated objects. He remains held on $1 million bail in Delaware County Prison, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for January 20, 2026. The forensic challenge of identifying century-old remains complicates the investigation, while authorities continue exploring potential networks of buyers who participated in this ghoulish trade that reduced human beings to mere commodities.