Pennsylvania mausoleum investigated in grave thefts linked to Jonathan Gerlach case
By Baylee Martin
Click here for updates on this story
PLAINS TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — A cemetery in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, is dealing with the aftermath of grave thefts as community members hope to prevent future incidents and relocate remains.
Man accused of stealing more than 100 human remains Jonathan Gerlach, a 34-year-old man from Lancaster County, is accused of stealing more than 100 remains from a Delaware County cemetery and is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial on Friday, March 13.
Investigators have also linked a cemetery in Luzerne County to the Gerlach investigation.
Good Shepherd Memorial Mausoleum Good Shepherd Memorial Mausoleum in Plains Township, Luzerne County, is one of the abandoned cemeteries affected. Historians like Ava Petersen oversee the grounds when no one else does.
“It’s a concern to me that it’s so open. There’s nothing preventing people from breaking in, and unfortunately, that’s what did happen,” Petersen said.
Sometime after Nov. 1, 2025, the graves of Mary Cappellini Paga and Leo Terence were broken into and robbed. Local funeral director Chris Yanaitis was there when the mausoleum was boarded up as a crime scene.
“It’s one thing to know where your family is, and they’re at peace, or they’re possibly being moved to someplace they could rest. But it’s another thing to be taken and not known what’s being done with them,” Yanaitis said.
Court documents revealed that human remains wrapped in plastic were found near cigarettes and energy drink cans near the open crypts. Investigators believe this evidence could be tied to Gerlach, who was arrested at a Delaware County cemetery in January and found with the skeletons of 100 people in his Lancaster County home and storage shed.
“These were the crypts that were all compromised, just like this one was. They were looking for something,” Yanaitis said.
Shortly after the initial break-in, Yanaitis said they received an emergency order to remove two other crypts due to evidence of attempted break-ins.
“No maintenance has been done to this building in 40 years,” Yanaitis said.
Petersen added, “The structural damage has gone too far.”
With no records of who or how many people are buried at the cemetery, unfinished crypt plates, and a crumbling facade, the concern is getting the people who are buried there out.
Attorney helping family members relocate loved ones Jeff Kulick, a local attorney, is helping family members relocate their loved ones.
“The three of us have partnered together, and we’re trying to make a solution there to come up with a solution. That way, this doesn’t continue to happen,” Kulick said. “Hopefully, none of us would have to understand what it is to rebury a loved one more than once.”
As the investigation continues, the community’s work and hope for new laws protecting cemeteries go on with it.
“This has become a legacy of trying to get these poor people to rest,” Yanaitis said.
Petersen concluded, “I don’t think anybody thinks their final resting place is going to be disturbed in such a way, and I don’t think that should ever happen.”
News 8 will be in the courtroom on March 13 for updates on this investigation.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.