Pennsylvania grave robber and Harvard morgue scandals suggest an underground network of body parts dealers

TikTok creator @Jahlen.Johnson has alleged a small connection between Jonathan Gerlach, the man recently arrested for grave-robbing in Pennsylvania, and the Harvard morgue scandal, involving the alleged theft and sale of human remains from Harvard Medical School’s morgue.

Importantly, Johnson does not claim Gerlach is charged in or directly tied to the Harvard case. Instead, she alleges the connection runs through personal relationships and alleged transactions within the underground “oddities” and human remains marketplace.

In her post, Johnson says: “The Pennsylvania grave robber who was arrested earlier this week,” meaning Gerlach, “has a small connection to the Harvard body parts scandal, which LED me down a completely different rabbit hole.” According to Johnson, the unconfirmed connection between Gerlach and Harvard is Jeremy Pauley, a Pennsylvania man recently sentenced in the Harvard morgue case. Pauley operated a museum and educational nonprofit involving oddities and human remains.

Johnson recounts Pauley’s claim that he did not knowingly purchase stolen Harvard remains, saying he bought items from third parties and believed they were legitimate. “He believed it was legit and he always did everything above board,” Johnson said, summarizing Pauley’s defense.

Pauley’s partner Sarah

Johnson then alleges that Pauley’s ex-partner, Sarah, removed human remains and items from his collection during a personal dispute and made it appear they were being improperly stored. She claims Pauley has said shipping records show items arrived at the home while he was not present, and that Sarah later admitted to lying, resulting in a perjury charge.

Johnson further alleges that Sarah knowingly sold remains connected to the broader scandal. This is where Gerlach enters Johnson’s narrative.

Gerlach and Sarah allegedly know on another

According to Johnson in her post, Gerlach knew Sarah personally, comparing her to “a little sister.” Johnson alleges that Gerlach helped broker the sale of disputed items taken from Pauley’s collection, knowing they belonged to Pauley, and later denied doing so.

She references alleged text messages, online listings, and items such as a hippo foot and a lion skull, suggesting Gerlach may have attempted to sell them across state lines.

Johnson is careful to frame these claims as ongoing and unresolved, saying, “way more is gonna come out of this now.” As of now, no court filings or law enforcement statements verify that Gerlach handled Harvard-sourced remains or participated in that criminal conspiracy.

The Pennsylvania grave-robbing case

Gerlach, 34, is charged in Pennsylvania after investigators say he repeatedly broke into mausoleums and underground vaults at Mount Moriah Cemetery near Philadelphia. Police allege they found more than 100 human skulls, skeletal remains, and multiple decomposing bodies in his home and a storage unit. Some remains were believed to belong to children. Gerlach faces hundreds of charges, including abuse of a corpse, desecration, theft of venerated objects, burglary, and related offenses. Investigators are still determining whether any remains were sold and working to identify victims.

The Harvard case, meanwhile, centers on Cedric Lodge, the former manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue, who pleaded guilty to stealing and selling body parts from donated cadavers before they were cremated and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Buyers allegedly received organs, skin, bones, and other remains across state lines. Pauley was sentenced in late 2025 to six years in federal prison for trafficking charges related to the case.