Category: Crime
‘Horror movie come to life’: Man faces nearly 600 charges after 100 skulls and skeletons were allegedly found in his home
Police investigators said they were horrified to find more than 100 skulls and skeletons at the Pennsylvania home of a man who is now facing nearly 600 criminal charges.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced in a press conference Thursday that 34-year-old Jonathan Gerlach of Ephrata had been charged with 574 counts, including trespassing, abuse of a corpse, and theft.
‘It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. I grieve for those who are upset by this.’
Detectives had been on a stakeout at the historic Mount Moriah Cemetery and Arboretum in Yeadon Tuesday when they noticed that a car belonging to Gerlach had “numerous bones and skulls in plain view in the back seat.”
They said they saw the man leaving the cemetery with a burlap bag and a crowbar. When he was detained and questioned, Gerlach admitted that he had stolen human remains from 30 grave sites.
They found far worse after raiding the man’s home.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home,” Rouse said at the press conference. “It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through this, who are trying to figure out if it is in fact one of their loved ones.”
Investigators are now trying to determine why Gerlach had been collecting the remains.
They are also investigating Gerlach’s involvement in a group on Facebook titled, “Human Bones and Skull Selling Group.”
Rouse said that some of the remains were hung up, some were pieced together, and skulls were found on the man’s shelf.
“Very simply, detectives have recovered an awful lot of bones at this point, and we are still trying to piece together who they are, where they are from, and how many we are looking at,” Rouse said. “It’s going to be quite some time before we have a final answer.”
Gerlach is being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility on bail of $1 million.
RELATED: 4 people arrested over human remains scattered across New York, bail reform sets them free
“Rest in peace is rest in peace, and this is definitely something that tears at your heartstrings,” Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco said.
The cemetery was founded in 1855, according to a sign at the entrance.
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Ohio woman pleads guilty to horrific child sex abuse charges and bestiality — and will testify against her husband
An Ohio woman agreed to testify against her husband after they were arrested for creating and disseminating child sex abuse material as well as bestiality.
Prosecutors said the material was found after a search warrant was performed at Shawna Mayfield’s home in Warren based on a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend a 30-year sentence in the plea deal in return for her cooperation.
Warren police said they found evidence that Mayfield had produced, created, and spread the child sex abuse material. She was arrested in August.
Two children allegedly told investigators that they were compelled to engage in sex acts by the woman.
“Additionally, the state found videos of the defendant performing sex acts with an animal, specifically a dog, and again,” prosecutor Gabe Wildman said, “while executing the search warrant in the final count, this defendant and her co-defendant had a marijuana grow on the premises that exceeded the statutory limits.”
Mayfield pleaded guilty to five counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, eight counts of rape, one count of sexual conduct with an animal, and endangering children.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend a 30-year sentence in the plea deal in return for her cooperation and agreement to testify against her 37-year-old husband, Justin Mayfield.
Her husband was charged with multiple counts of rape, one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, and one count of endangering children.
Prosecutors have offered him a plea deal that would put him in prison for 50 years to life. His attorney asked for less time in prison after noting that his wife had more charges against her but with a lower sentence.
RELATED: 21-year-old Texas man who allegedly sold child sex and bestiality videos turned in by relative
Justin Mayfield’s trial will begin later in January, and Shawna Mayfield will be officially sentenced later as well.
The man’s Facebook page listed him as a “digital creator,” according to WKRC-TV.
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Note saying ‘Call the police’ leads to arrest of elderly man’s live-in caretaker, police say
An 81-year old widower and Navy veteran said he was forced to seek help through a note on his mailbox after his live-in caretaker became allegedly abusive.
The victim, who didn’t want to be identified publicly, said that 60-year-old Denise Williams took away his phone and his car keys after getting angry with him at his house in Lantana, Florida.
‘She jumped on my chest and started grabbing it, my phone, and she finally got it and scratched me.’
“Every month, every day, she got a little bit worse,” the man said to WPBF-TV.
Williams got so angry at the state of the man’s bathroom that he tried to call 911 after she yelled at him. She stopped him by squeezing his hand until he could no longer stand the pain.
“She jumped on my chest. I was lying down, trying to get my phone, and she jumped on my chest and started grabbing it, my phone, and she finally got it and scratched me,” he said.
Williams then took steps to ensure that he not call for help, according to the victim.
“Then she grabbed my phone, the two house phones, the landline phones, and my car keys, dumped them in her room, and locked the door,” he added.
He decided to scrawl a plea for help on a note left on his mailbox.
“Call the police,” it read.
The mail carrier saw the note and reported it to his supervisor. That supervisor reported it to the Lantana Police, who responded to the call and found Williams at a nearby gas station with the man’s debit card and checkbook.
Williams was charged with numerous counts, including battery on an elderly victim and robbery. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
RELATED: Elderly woman beaten to death with a rock — police found her daughter ‘covered in blood’
Despite the ordeal, the man says he’s worried Williams has nowhere to go. He said she had worked for him for about two and a half years and been paid $2,000 a month to care for him.
“I’m sorry for her. I really am,” he said. “Because she has no place to go right now, other than where she’s going after she gets out of the hospital.”
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Video shows wild car chase after police rescue 11-year-old from alleged kidnapper who tortured him at campsite
A harrowing video showed a wild police chase after a routine traffic stop that led to the rescue of an alleged kidnapping victim and the arrest of his kidnapper in Florida.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said deputies pulled over a white Ford F-150 on U.S. Highway 1 on Wednesday after a 911 caller reported suspicious activity. They found a 60-year-old man identified as Darnell Hairston with two male juveniles.
‘A caller that knew his background as a sex offender with two children in his pickup truck called us. And if it wasn’t for that, we might be investigating a completely different crime.’
When deputies separated an 11-year-old boy, he told them he had been kidnapped by Hairston and feared for his life.
“He told us that he thought they were going to kill him,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said.
Police video showed deputies taking down the man before the other juvenile passenger, a 15-year-old boy, got into the truck and fled from the scene. He comes within inches of driving over one officer’s feet. When police followed the vehicle, he rammed one cruiser before crashing the truck.
The 11-year-old had been missing for three days and was treated at a hospital, according to police.
He allegedly told police that he had been lured to a wooded campsite at Flagler Estates, where he was choked unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he was gagged with duct tape and tied with an extension cord and shoelaces. He also said he was threatened with a knife and firearm.
The boy was forced to hide under a blanket on the floorboard of the truck while being transported, according to investigators.
Search warrants performed on the man’s vehicle, his residence, and the campsite led to the recovery of duct tape, weapons, and video surveillance equipment. Police said these were consistent with statements given by the victim.
Investigators said the two juveniles were in a Snapchat group where the 11-year-old was warning others about Hairston being a sexual predator.
Video of the traffic stop was posted to the sheriff’s office Facebook account.
Hairston was eventually charged with kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated child abuse, battery by strangulation, and robbery with a deadly weapon. He had been initially arrested for attempting to disarm a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
The 15-year-old boy was placed into the custody of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. He faces multiple charges and is being investigated as a possible co-conspirator.
Hairston is being held without bond at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and may face additional charges.
“A caller that knew his background as a sex offender with two children in his pickup truck called us,” Staly said. “And if it wasn’t for that, we might be investigating a completely different crime.”
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Scathing Indictment Claims Nicolás Maduro Orchestrated Drug-Fueled ‘Culture Of Corruption’ Which Plagued Entire Region
‘shipping low-quality cocaine to New York’
18-year-old ISIS sympathizer who allegedly planned New Year’s Eve terror attack in North Carolina is arrested
A North Carolina man who allegedly planned to use knives and hammers for a New Year’s Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in support of ISIS was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, federal officials said Friday.
The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina said a criminal complaint was filed Wednesday and unsealed Friday after Christian Sturdivant appeared in federal court in Charlotte. Sturdivant turned 18 just two weeks ago, according to jail records.
‘May Allah curse the cross worshipers.’
“This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers — anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law.”
FBI Director Kash Patel added that “the accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year’s Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that.”
The FBI in Charlotte on Dec. 18 received information that an individual later identified as Sturdivant was making multiple social media posts in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to allegations in the arrest affidavit.
Sturdivant in early December posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with on-screen text that read, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers,” officials said. The post allegedly is consistent with ISIS rhetoric calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not agree with ISIS’ extreme ideology.
Image source: Department of Justice
The criminal complaint alleges that Sturdivant on or about Dec. 12 began communicating with an online covert employee, or “OC,” whom Sturdivant believed was an ISIS member, officials said.
Sturdivant told the OC, “I will do jihad soon” and proclaimed he was “a soldier of the state,” meaning ISIS, officials said, adding that on Dec. 14, Sturdivant allegedly sent an online message to the OC with an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS’ propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terror attacks in Western countries, officials said, adding that the article inspired actual attacks in other countries. Later, Sturdivant told the OC that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina, officials said. Sturdivant also told the OC about his plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack, according to the arrest affidavit.
What’s more, officials said Sturdivant on Dec. 19 allegedly sent the OC a voice recording of Sturdivant pledging “Bayat,” which is a loyalty oath to ISIS.
On Dec. 29, 2025, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Sturdivant’s residence, where they discovered handwritten documents, one of which was titled “New Years Attack 2026,” officials said.
RELATED: FBI stops radical pro-Palestinian New Year’s Eve terror plot: Report
Image source: Department of Justice
The document listed items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives allegedly to be used in the attack, officials said, adding that it also described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with the total number of victims to be as high as 20 to 21.
The note also included a section labeled as “martyrdom op,” which described a plan to attack police responding to the site of the attack so Sturdivant would die a martyr, officials said.
RELATED: Trans-identifying radicals among those arrested in alleged planned New Year’s Eve terror plot
The complaint alleges that Sturdivant lived with a relative who secured knives and hammers so Sturdivant could not use them for harm, officials said. Yet, law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives which appeared hidden underneath the defendant’s bed, officials said. These items appear to be the ones depicted in the online message Sturdivant previously sent to the OC, officials said.
Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant’s planned attack, officials said.
Sturdivant remains in federal custody, officials said, adding that he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if convicted. He was behind bars Friday night at the Gaston County Jail with no bond.
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