The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has revealed the indictment of six individuals alleged to have engaged in the sale of stolen human body parts, which included remains obtained from cadavers at Harvard Medical School and a mortuary in Arkansas.
Cedric Lodge, aged 55, residing in Goffstown, New Hampshire; Katrina Maclean, aged 44, residing in Salem, Massachusetts; Joshua Taylor, aged 46, residing in West Lawn, Pennsylvania; Denise Lodge, aged 63, residing in Goffstown, New Hampshire and Mathew Lampi, aged 52, residing in East Bethel, Minnesota, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods.
Organ Harvesting: 6 Charged for Stealing and Selling Body Parts from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas Morgue
Six people have been charged for selling and stealing body parts from Harvard medical school and an Arkansas morgue. pic.twitter.com/SlRX9ERCGk
— Andy Greensky (@AndyGreensky) June 15, 2023
Criminal Information charges have been filed against Jeremy Pauley, a 41-year-old resident of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Additionally, Candace Chapman Scott, from Little Rock, Arkansas, had previously been indicted in the Eastern District of Arkansas.
According to the allegations, Cedric Lodge, the former morgue manager of the Anatomical Gifts Program at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, is accused of engaging in the theft of organs and other body parts from cadavers donated for medical research and education between 2018 and 2022.
The alleged thefts took place before the cadavers were scheduled for cremation. Cedric Lodge is accused of transporting the stolen remains from Boston to his residence in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
It is alleged that Cedric and his wife, Denise Lodge, sold the stolen remains to individuals such as Katrina Maclean, Joshua Taylor, and others. The transactions were reportedly arranged through phone calls and social media platforms.
According to reports, Cedric Lodge granted Maclean and Taylor access to the morgue at Harvard Medical School, allowing them to inspect the cadavers and choose the body parts they wanted to buy.
Taylor, on occasion, transported the stolen remains to Pennsylvania, while the Lodges shipped stolen remains to Taylor and other individuals who lived outside of Massachusetts.
Harvard Medical School made a statement about the allegations saying, “We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus – a community dedicated to healing and serving others. The reported incidents are a betrayal of HMS and, most importantly, each of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to HMS through the Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research.”
The statement concluded with the esteemed medical school expressing their condolences “for the pain this news will cause for our anatomical donors’ families and loved ones.” HMS further committed to supporting and engaging with them during this difficult period.
