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Preliminary Hearing Delayed in Pennsylvania Grave-Robbing Case to Allow Further Evidence Review

Investigators are examining links to additional disturbed mausoleums, with identification of recovered remains still underway.

Overview

  • Jonathan Gerlach’s public defender waived today’s preliminary hearing in Delaware County, and the case was continued for about three weeks.
  • He faces hundreds of counts tied to alleged thefts from mausoleums and crypts at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where he was arrested in January.
  • Investigators say searches of his Ephrata home and a nearby storage unit uncovered human remains including roughly 100 skeletons.
  • Good Shepherd Memorial Mausoleum in Luzerne County has been linked to the probe after break-ins, with remains found near open crypts alongside items detailed in court documents.
  • Families and local advocates are working to identify and relocate disturbed remains as authorities also review reports that Gerlach may have sold human bones online.