- By Supratik Das
- Sun, 25 May 2025 02:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a chilling case that shook the medical and legal community throughout the United States, Cedric Lodge, a former morgue manager at the Harvard Medical School Morgue, and his wife, Denise Lodge, are two of five individuals federally indicted in a far-reaching black-market exchange of stolen human remains. According to a case filed in Pennsylvania and cited by The Times of India, Cedric Lodge, 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, stole dissected body parts from cadavers donated to Harvard Medical School between 2018 and early 2023. The remains were taken without the school’s knowledge or consent and sold to buyers across several US states. Lodge was fired from his position on May 6, 2023, following an internal investigation that resulted in federal indictments.
How The Stolen Remains Were Sold
Authorities have found that Lodge kept most of the stolen body parts in his house, sometimes sending them via mail to customers, or having them picked up from the Harvard Medical School. With his wife, Denise, he is accused of operating a cross-state trafficking ring involving other resellers and buyers. The couple communicated with purchasers over the phone and on social media sites, coordinating organ sales, skin sales, cut-up faces, and even whole heads. The sales took years and sometimes were made through online accounts like PayPal. Along with this couple, Katrina Maclean, Joshua Taylor, and Matthew Lampi were named in the case.
Maclean ran a shop named Kat's Creepy Creations in Peabody, Massachusetts, from which police allege she sold and stored remains of humans. Maclean allegedly bought two dissected faces from Lodge for 600 USD. She also mailed human skin to a Pennsylvania customer who used it to make leather goods. In one message to Cedric, Maclean allegedly showed concern that the police would intercept her packages with human remains. Next comes Joshua Taylor, one of the key players in the case, who is reported to have made 39 payments worth 37,355.56 USD over a period of three years to a PayPal account owned by Denise Lodge. Payment comments were phrases such as "head number 7" and "braiiiiiins," revealing what the money was for. Authorities discovered that Taylor would collect remains himself or have them shipped to him in Pennsylvania. He then resold the body parts for financial gain.
The probe also uncovered connections to Candace Chapman Scott, a Little Rock, Arkansas, mortuary employee who stole human remains intended for cremation. The remains had been donated for educational and research purposes. Scott sold the body parts to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, resident Jeremy Pauley (41), who, in turn, traded the parts with other people, including Matthew Lampi. Officials estimate that Pauley and Lampi conducted more than 100,000 USD in online commerce over the years.
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Investigation and Legal Consequences
The case has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Postal Inspection Service, and East Pennsboro Township Police Department together. Assistant US Attorney Alisan Martin is prosecuting. All the defendants are charged with substantial federal offenses. The most severe penalty under U.S. law for interstate transportation of stolen property is 10 years in prison, a term of supervised release, and a fine of 250,000 USD. Final sentencing will be decided by the judge following federal guidelines. After Lodge's indictment, Harvard Medical School conducted an internal investigation and hired an outside panel to review its Anatomical Program.
