Pennsylvania Ghoul
Cops Say His Alleged Crimes Were Very Sloppy …
Didn’t Cover Tracks In Stealing 100 Corpses
The Pennsylvania man who allegedly stole more than 100 skeletal remains from gravesites wasn’t exactly a criminal mastermind … at least according to prosecutors.
New legal docs, obtained by TMZ, shed light on how Jonathan Gerlach allegedly went about sloppily turning his Pennsylvania home into a haunted house.
Prosecutors allege Gerlach left behind tons of evidence of his crimes … they found cigarettes, Monster Energy, Liquid Death and NOS Energy cans in the crypts he allegedly burglarized … and he used his Ace Hardware Rewards Card to pay for some of the tools he used to break into the graves.
Cops say they searched Gerlach’s home in Ephrata, PA, and discovered 100 sets of full or partial human remains in his basement.
In the docs, prosecutors say his family saw a partially decomposed corpse hanging in his basement, but they were afraid to tell the police.
Prosecutors say Gerlach admitted to selling some of the remains he stole online, but it was only a fraction of what was found in his home.
In the docs, prosecutors say Gerlach targeted four underground vaults at one cemetery, Mount Moriah, gaining entry by moving huge slabs made of heavy stone and marble.
Prosecutors say Gerlach left behind cigarettes and energy drinks next to a plastic tarp containing human remains that was discovered just outside of a mausoleum.
Another time, prosecutors allege Gerlach left behind cigarette butts, Liquid Death and NOS Energy drinks. So much for covering up those tracks.
Prosecutors say that in November cops were called to a cemetery where a mausoleum had been robbed … the marble flooring inside was destroyed and inside they found a white, nylon rope with a carabiner still attached, positioned as if the robber rappelled 10-feet down into the crypt.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse slapped Gerlach with a slew of charges, including criminal mischief, criminal trespass, intentional desecration of public monument and abuse of corpse.