Hundreds of Human Skulls Discovered in Man's Basement: Cops
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested for allegedly stealing hundreds of human remains from cemeteries.
- ❖Police discovered over 100 human skeletons in his basement and a storage unit, some dating back to the 1850s, others believed to be modern infants.
- ❖Gerlach was linked to 26 cemetery desecrations at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia.
- ❖His social media showed involvement in an online 'human bones and skull selling group' on Facebook.
- ❖He was caught red-handed at the cemetery with a crowbar and a burlap sack containing child remains and skulls.
- ❖The case raises concerns about the legality and ethics of buying/selling human bones and potential public health hazards from contaminated remains.
Insights
1Discovery of an 'Industrial Scale' Collection of Human Remains
Detectives found over 100 human skeletons in Jonathan Gerlach's basement and an additional eight in a storage locker. The Delaware County District Attorney described the scene as an 'unbelievable scene' and a 'horror movie come to life,' with some remains believed to be months-old infants and others dating back to the 1850s.
District Attorney's statement: 'over 100 human skeletons were recovered' from his home, and 'eight more human remains' from a storage locker. (, )
2Brazen Grave Desecration and Online Commerce
Gerlach allegedly broke into 26 mausoleums and underground vaults at Mount Moriah Cemetery, using pry bars and crowbars. He left behind evidence like energy drink cans and cigarettes. His social media profiles, including a 'human bones and skull selling group' on Facebook, indicated an active trade in human remains, with one post thanking him for adding a 'possible teen' to a collection.
Police affidavit details use of pry bars and crowbars (), discovery of a Monster Energy drink can and Marlboro cigarette (, ), and a Facebook post tagging Gerlach about a 'possible teen' in a collection ().
3Public Health Risks from Contaminated Remains
Forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan highlighted that older embalmed bodies were preserved with heavy metals, which have long half-lives. Gerlach's handling and storage of these potentially contaminated remains in his home and a storage unit could expose himself, customers, and neighbors to chemical harm, warranting interest from the EPA.
Joseph Scott Morgan: 'Guess what they used to embalm bodies with? Heavy metals.' () and 'He's bringing them into his home... potentially contaminated with heavy metals.' ()
4Herculean Identification Challenge for Law Enforcement
Identifying the hundreds of recovered remains will be a massive undertaking, complicated by their varied ages (from infants to centuries-old) and the commingling of bones. Forensic genetic genealogy may play a role, but the sheer volume and lack of intact context make it a significant challenge.
Joseph Scott Morgan: 'this is going to be a Herculean effort on the part of whoever's going to get them identified.' () and 'you're going to have this commingling of remains.' ()
Bottom Line
The illicit trade of human remains, particularly older ones, carries significant and often overlooked public health risks due to potential heavy metal contamination from historical embalming practices.
This means law enforcement and public health agencies, like the EPA, must be involved in such cases, not just criminal investigators, to assess and mitigate environmental and health hazards for the community.
Develop specialized protocols and training for first responders and forensic teams on handling historically embalmed human remains to protect against chemical exposure and ensure proper hazardous waste disposal.
The existence of public online groups for selling human bones indicates a widespread, yet largely unregulated, market that facilitates grave robbing and the trafficking of human remains across state lines.
This suggests a need for federal intervention and charges (interstate commerce) to address the systemic issue, as state laws alone may be insufficient to deter or prosecute the full scope of such operations.
Social media platforms need to implement stricter content moderation and reporting mechanisms for groups facilitating the sale of human remains, and law enforcement should proactively monitor such online communities to disrupt these networks.
Lessons
- Families with loved ones in older or less maintained cemeteries should inquire about security measures and consider options for protecting grave sites.
- Law enforcement agencies should be aware of online communities and social media groups facilitating the sale of human remains and monitor them for suspicious activity.
- Individuals encountering suspicious online sales of human bones or remains should report them to local authorities and relevant social media platforms.
Notable Moments
Delaware County District Attorney describing the scene in Gerlach's basement as a 'horror movie come to life' and 'unbelievable,' stating no one involved had ever seen anything like it.
This quote powerfully conveys the shock and unprecedented nature of the discovery, emphasizing the extreme and disturbing scale of Gerlach's collection.
Forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan comparing the discovery to the infamous Ed Gein case, noting the 'industrial scale' of the operation.
This comparison provides historical context for the horror and rarity of such a large-scale collection of human remains, highlighting its disturbing significance in true crime history.
The host's personal reflection on visiting a friend's grave and the unimaginable grief of discovering their remains had been stolen and desecrated.
This personalizes the crime, shifting focus from the macabre details to the profound emotional impact on victims' families and the violation of sacred spaces.
Quotes
"Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night, guys. This is an unbelievable scene that no one involved, from myself to the detectives to the medical examiners that are now trying to piece together what they are looking at, quite literally. None of them have ever seen anything like this before."
"I cannot imagine what it would put them through to know that someone like this guy had dug up those remains and was doing God knows what with them. It is It is truly in the most literal sense of the word horrific."
"This is almost industrial scale... when you think about how much time is involved in trying to get these kind of remains."
"He's taken all that and monetized it. Just let that sink in just for a second. And that again is one piece to this that's beyond kind of like the the horror narrative. This this gets into literally flesh trade at this point in time."
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