GoFundMe Launched To Support Delco Cemetery Targeted By Alleged Grave Robber

YEADON, PA — About a week after news broke of disturbing allegations against a man authorities said stole human remains from Mount Moriah Cemetery, the group tasked with overseeing the historic cemetery is looking to raise funds for security upgrades.

The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery Inc. launched a GoFundMe campaign Tuesday.

"Our goal is to fully secure the perimeter, but we face a significant financial hurdle," The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery Inc. President John R. Schmehl Jr. said on the campaign page. "The original 100-year-old fencing has reached the end of its useful life. We recently received a quote of $9,000 for materials alone just to replace the 61st Street side. This quote is only for 600 feet of Mount Moriah’s perimeter. The fence has many openings and access points that need to be addressed."

The campaign has a goal of $100,000, and as of 10:45 a.m. Thursday, 37 donations have contributed more than $2,800.

Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery Inc. Board Member Laurel McCullough said on social media Wednesday that $17,688 has been raised in total.

"To date, we have already spent approximately $20,000 on security upgrades and the physical repair of targeted mausoleums and vaults," Schmehl said. "This represents nearly a quarter of our total $90,000 annual operating budget."

Authorities said 26 burial sites, including mausoleums and vaults, were broken into by 34-year-old Jonathan Gerlach, of Lancaster County. Twenty-five of them are more than 100 years old, authorities said.

Local police said investigators found evidence of pry marks on the targeted burial areas, and that sealed doorways into mausoleums were bashed in. Volunteers at the cemetery found a rope and carabiner inside a mausoleum, indicating someone rappelled into it to access crypts, authorities said.

"As a non-profit that relies entirely on donations, we are currently at a crossroads," Schmehl said. "We want to move forward with these vital infrastructure improvements, but our current funds are stretched thin by these unforeseen emergencies."

Below are goals for the fundraising effort, according to the GoFundMe:

1. Replace the Fencing Along 61st Street Approx Material Cost $10,000
2. Install Fencing along the bottom of the Yeadon Side of the Cemetery Approx Material Cost $12,000
3. Repair and Replace the Fencing Along Kingsessing Avenue and address the crumbling brick pillars that are part of the Fence Line Approx Material Cost $20,000
4. Repair/Replace the Fencing along 63rd/Avondale Avenue Approx Material Cost Approx Material Cost $15,000
5. Installation of actively monitored Cameras throughout both side of Mount Moriah Approx Cost $43,000

Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery Inc. Board Secretary Art Anderson told Patch via email its members are not conducting interviews due to the ongoing criminal investigation into Gerlach's alleged crimes.

"Please know that we are working closely with the appropriate authorities to address these violations of our sacred space," Schmehl said on the campaign page.

Anyone who believes their loved ones' burial sites were impacted is encouraged to contact the cemetery online here to begin the process of identifying and returning potentially stolen remains. Burial sites are searchable via this online database.

Learn more about the effort to return stolen remains online here.

See here to contribute to the GoFundMe campaign. Direct donations to the cemetery can also be made online here.