Project Mind Control: Introducing… Strangely

Podcast: Project Mind Control / Always True Crime
Episode: Introducing... Strangely
Date: April 24, 2026

Episode Overview

This crossover segment is an introduction to "Strangely," a podcast delving into bizarre real-life crime and fringe oddities. The featured case explores a modern grave-robbing scandal in Pennsylvania, revealing a thriving underground market for human remains, the law’s gray areas, and humanity’s enduring fascination with the macabre. Hosted by journalists Poppy Damon and Luke Jones, the episode blends investigative reporting, cultural history, and devilish humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mount Moriah Cemetery Mystery

Time: [03:27]–[07:59]

• Setting: Mount Moriah Cemetery, a sprawling, historic burial ground in Philadelphia and Yadin, Pennsylvania.
• Discovery: In November, volunteers and police discover several mausoleums have been violently broken into—a step above vandalism, with actual desecration and stolen remains.
  • “It wasn't just wear and tear. These were fully desecrated graves.” (Poppy Damon, [04:13])
• Theories: Is it animals, kids, or actual grave robbers? Rumors swirl while local families are distressed.

2. The Tipoff and the Suspect

Time: [05:03]–[06:14]

• Break in the Case: Police receive a tip: a man named John Gerlach may be involved.
  • Tipster Report: “He had seen a partially decomposed corpse hanging in the basement of this gentleman’s home.” ([05:19])
• Social Media Evidence: Gerlach posts openly about collecting bones, skeletons, and oddities, running a “bone museum.”
  • “None of these things in the state of Pennsylvania are illegal...but it is illegal to break into graves.” (Luke Jones, [06:14])

3. The Law, the Loot, and the Market for Human Remains

Time: [07:16]–[10:00]

• Facebook Groups: Investigators find Gerlach is active in “human bones and skull selling” groups where transactions are open and disturbingly casual.
• Social Media as Evidence: “Social media is horrible, isn’t it?...Is this what they’re getting up to on [Facebook], is my question.” (Male Co-Host, [08:36])
• Murderabilia Market: Explores the broader world of collecting crime artifacts—hair, paintings, bones.
  • “There’s a big market for serial killers...It’s ethically really ambiguous.” (Poppy Damon, [08:47])
• Legal Notes: “Criminals can’t benefit from their crimes...They’re called Son of Sam laws because...” (Luke Jones, [09:08])

4. The Arrest & Aftermath

Time: [10:03]–[13:20]

• Gerlach Caught Red-Handed: Police tail Gerlach and catch him leaving the cemetery with a crowbar and a burlap sack containing mummified children’s remains.
  • “There’s mummified children’s remains, skulls and bones.” (Luke Jones, [10:51])
• Basement Horrors: Search of his home reveals “a horror movie come to life”—over 100 human bones, skeletons on shelves, corpses hanging, even medical devices still in remains.
  • “Shelves covered in skeletal remains, corpses hanging from the ceiling...” (Luke Jones, [11:31])
• Local Reaction: Families are horrified, volunteers rally to protect graves, and security is ramped up.

5. The Subculture and Macabre Trade

Time: [13:33]–[16:20]

• Gerlach’s Background: Part of heavy metal/oddities communities; friends shocked by the scale of his crimes.
• Buyers & Ethics: Buyers may also face legal consequences; show discusses humanity’s fascination with macabre artifacts.
  • “Humans love strange, macabre objects...there’s a long history of that.” (Luke Jones, [14:37])
• Price of Remains:
  • “Take a guess, how much a full skeleton can go for...up to $7,000.” ([15:10]–[15:28])

6. Historical Context and the Evolution of Grave Robbing

Time: [15:33]–[16:20]

• Reference to History: Grave robbing once fed medical cadaver demand—parallels with modern internet-fueled trade.

7. The Collector’s Mindset

Time: [16:25]–[18:54]

• Collectors and True Crime:
  • “There was a car owned by a serial killer...he just liked to sit in it and get a creepy feeling.” (Poppy Damon, [18:05])
• Societal Reflection: Provocative question—where’s the line between consuming true crime and engaging in macabre collection?
  • “What’s the difference between watching a true crime documentary and wanting to buy the car where someone’s murdered?” (Luke Jones, [18:40])

8. Current Status of the Case

Time: [19:48]–[21:18]

• Charges: Gerlach jailed on $1 million bail, faces 574 criminal counts, including abuse of corpse, theft, desecration.
  • “It’s actually 574 criminal counts...” (Luke Jones, [20:12])
• Loose Ends: Crime scene evidence includes stray DNA (energy drinks, cigarette butts) and relies on volunteer-run cemeteries’ vulnerability.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Droll Humor on Discovery:
  • “What did he have the sack over his shoulder and was he sort of comedy creeping?” (Male Co-Host, [10:40])
• On the Scene in Gerlach’s Basement:
  • “Described the scene as a horror movie come to life. There were shelves covered in skeletal remains, corpses hanging from the ceiling...” (Luke Jones, [11:31])
• Market Realities:
  • “You can go for up to $7,000.” (Luke Jones, [15:28])
  • “Which actually seems really low, doesn’t it, for a human corpse.” (Male Co-Host, [15:33])
• Ethical Reflections:
  • “What’s the difference between watching a true crime documentary and wanting to buy the car where someone's murdered?” (Luke Jones, [18:40])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction to Case & Setting: [03:27]–[04:13]
• The Tip and Social Media Trail: [05:03]–[06:14]
• Grave-Robbing Arrest: [10:03]–[11:50]
• Collector Culture, Market Value: [13:33]–[16:20]
• Deep Dive: Ethics, History, and Modern Parallels: [16:25]–[18:54]
• Case Status & Legal Aftermath: [19:48]–[21:18]

Tone & Style

The conversation is darkly humorous, direct, and sometimes mordant—balancing respect for victims with fascination for the bizarre. Damon and Jones tease out both horror and absurdity, making the subject accessible while never losing sight of its gravity.

Summary

“Introducing...Strangely” uncovers how old-world grave robbing persists in the digital age: a Pennsylvania man exploits security lapses at historic cemeteries, trafficking in human remains through open online sales—his arrest exposing a flourishing, ethically fraught subculture. The episode probes legal blind spots, true crime fascination, and the long shadow cast by humanity’s curious relationship to death, concluding with an open question: Where is the line between morbid curiosity and complicity?