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A Pennsylvania man accused of stealing more than 100 bodies from a historic cemetery appeared in court Friday, where he reportedly waived his right to a deposition.
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, appeared in Delaware County court wearing a blue prison jumpsuit. Shaved and her hair tied in a bun, she looked very different from her booking photo. He spoke very little during the proceedings, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia.
Gerlach faces nearly 500 charges — including burglary, abuse of a corpse and desecration of monuments — related to the shocking investigation at Mount Moriah Cemetery near Philadelphia, the newspaper reported.
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Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested at Mount Moriah Cemetery on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pa., on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Delaware County District Attorney’s Office via AP/Google Maps)
During Friday’s hearing, prosecutors dropped two burglary charges but filed additional charges related to alleged burglaries in Lancaster and Luzerne counties, FOX 29 reported.
The case has shocked investigators and the public since Gerlach’s arrest in January.
At the time, Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse described what detectives found as “a horror movie that happened.”
Authorities say more than 100 full or partial human remains and bones have been found at Gerlach’s Ephrata home and storage facility.
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Grave markers are seen at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia on Jan. 8, 2026. (Matt Rourke/AP)
Some remains are believed to be centuries old, while others are of children, according to prosecutors.
Police say Gerlach was identified after officers searched the bones and skull in his car at Mount Moriah Cemetery.
Investigators later saw him leaving the cemetery carrying a burlap bag, a crowbar and other tools. Authorities say he admitted to stealing about 30 remains.
The case was very distressing for the families whose loved ones were buried in Mount Moriah.
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Judy Prichard McCleary and Greg Prichard speak to reporters outside the Delaware County Courthouse in Media, Pa., Friday, April 17, 2026, after an alleged crime involving the theft of more than 100 human remains from a Pennsylvania cemetery disturbed the burial sites of their relatives. (Tassanee Vejpongsa/AP)
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“I believe their souls are in heaven. I still think it’s disturbing,” Judy Prichard McCleary, whose remains were disturbed, told the Associated Press.
Gerlach remains in custody in Delaware County with bail set at $1 million, according to FOX 29.
Court records do not indicate whether Gerlach entered his plea. An attorney could not be reached for comment Friday.
The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.
