Picture by Getty and Jonathan Gerlach on Fb
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In response to BroBible, a 34-year-old Pennsylvania man is dealing with a whole lot of prices after authorities found greater than 100 human skeletons within the basement of his Lancaster County residence. Police say the stays have been saved all through the property and represented a variety of ages and situations.
Jonathan Gerlach was arrested after investigators uncovered what they allege was an ongoing operation involving grave robbing and the net sale of human stays. Authorities say the case is notable not just for the variety of stays concerned however for the way the exercise was allegedly coordinated by social media.
Delaware County District Legal professional Tanner Rouse confirmed that police recognized greater than 100 distinct units of stays in Gerlach’s basement. In response to courtroom paperwork, the stays ranged from greater than 200 years outdated to these of infants solely months outdated, with a number of human skulls displayed brazenly on cabinets.
The investigation started with a tip and shortly escalated
The investigation started after a Lancaster County tipster contacted police. The tipster reported that two acquaintances had found {a partially} decomposed physique hanging in Gerlach’s basement throughout a go to.
Detectives then reviewed Gerlach’s on-line exercise and recognized a number of purple flags. Police say his Fb account was related to a gaggle known as “Human Bones and Cranium Promoting,” the place messages allegedly confirmed Gerlach promoting human stays to different members.
Investigators have been additionally instructed that Gerlach’s social media profiles included frequent posts about taxidermy, oddities, and skeleton amassing. Court docket data observe that his CashApp profile picture confirmed him holding a human cranium, echoing the type of disturbing on-line conduct that has fueled different viral tales, together with when an Outback Steakhouse buyer believed they have been served a strip of leather-based earlier than discovering the truth.
The case expanded additional after Yeadon Mayor Rohan Hepkins was alerted to repeated mausoleum break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery. Members of the Mates of Mount Moriah Cemetery group reported grave disturbances, prompting police to extend patrols within the space.
These patrols led to Gerlach’s arrest as he exited the cemetery. In response to courtroom paperwork, he was carrying a burlap bag containing three skulls, assorted bones, and mummified stays believed to belong to 2 babies.
Police later executed a search warrant at Gerlach’s residence, the place they reported discovering two decomposing human torsos, mummified palms and ft, lengthy bones, and quite a few different skeletal stays. The revelations have drawn comparisons to different unsettling social media incidents, similar to when a LongHorn Steakhouse buyer ordered a meal and found it coated in what seemed to be “love butter,” later defined by a former prepare dinner.
Gerlach is at the moment being held in Delaware County Jail and faces 574 prices, together with abuse of a corpse, housebreaking, and prison trespassing, as he awaits a preliminary listening to.
