The House of Skulls - JONATHAN GERLACH

About this episode

The episode discusses the shocking case of Jonathan Gerlach, who was caught with human remains and faces numerous charges.

On January 6, 2026, detectives caught Jonathan Gerlach, 34, of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, leaving Mount Moriah Cemetery near Philadelphia with a burlap bag containing the mummified remains of two small children and three skulls. A search of his home revealed over 100 human skulls, mummified hands and feet, decomposing torsos—some hanging from the ceiling—and jewellery from graves. His storage unit contained eight more complete corpses. Between November 2025 and January 2026, Gerlach had systematically broken into 26 mausoleums and underground vaults, rappelling down ropes, smashing marble floors, stealing skeletal remains dating from 200 years old to months-old infants. On Instagram as "deadshitdaddy," he posted 100+ images of human skulls for sale. A Facebook group member thanked him for a bag made of human skin. Gerlach faces 574 charges and is held on $1 million bail. The investigation continues: Were the remains shipped across state lines? Who were the buyers? And can the dead finally be returned to rest in peace? Become a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here Subscribe to Crime at Bedtimes Youtube…

People in this episode

Host: Jack Laurence

Guest: Jonathan Gerlach

Topics covered

• true crime
• murder
• forensics
• investigation
• grave robbing
• criminal psychology

Keywords

• Jonathan Gerlach
• human remains
• grave robbing
• true crime
• investigation
• mummified remains
• skulls
• mausoleums

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Ephrata, Pennsylvania, Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia

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