Jonathan Gerlach remains in custody after officials say they found skulls, bones and other remains in his car and home

The Pennsylvania man suspected of stealing more than 100 pieces of human remains from a historic cemetery has allegedly admitted to selling some of them online – while the graveyard solicits donations to upgrade its security.

Jonathan Gerlach’s purported admission, along with the most complete account yet of how he caught the attention of law enforcement, are contained in search warrants obtained by authorities investigating a case one government official called “a horror movie come to life”.

Detectives said they were already investigating reports of cemetery burglaries when police evidently received a tip that was submitted online and urged them to look into whether Gerlach was connected to one mausoleum robbery in particular. As the Pennsylvania news outlet WHP-TV reported in the Baltimore Sun, the tipster described knowing someone who had been in Gerlach’s home and had spotted a “partially decomposed corpse” hanging in the basement.