A former morgue supervisor at Harvard Medical School, his spouse and three different individuals have been charged over the theft and sale of human physique components.
Cedric Lodge, 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, stole dissected parts of cadavers that have been donated to the varsity between 2018 and 2023, in accordance with courtroom paperwork.
The physique components have been taken with out the college’s information or permission, federal prosecutors stated, including that Harvard has cooperated with the investigation.
Lodge generally took the physique components – which included heads, brains, pores and skin and bones – again to his house the place he lived along with his spouse, Denise, 63, and a few stays have been allegedly despatched to consumers by submit.
He can also be accused of permitting prospects to return to the morgue to choose what stays they wished to purchase.
Bodies donated to Harvard Medical School (HMS) are used for schooling, instructing or analysis functions.
Once they’re not wanted, the cadavers are often cremated and the ashes are returned to the donor’s household or buried in a cemetery.
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In a message posted on the varsity’s web site entitled “An abhorrent betrayal”, deans George Daley and Edward Hundert known as the matter “morally reprehensible” including that Lodge was fired on 6 May.
“We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus – a community dedicated to healing and serving others,” the deans wrote.
“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 indictment costs the Lodges and three others – Katrina Maclean, 44, of Salem, Massachusetts; Joshua Taylor, 46, of West Lawn, Pennsylvania; and Mathew Lampi, 52, of East Bethel, Minnesota – with conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen items.
According to prosecutors, the defendants have been a part of a nationwide community of people that purchased and bought stays stolen from the varsity and an Arkansas mortuary.
Foetuses seized as a part of FBI physique components investigation
The Lodges allegedly organized to promote the stays to Maclean, Taylor, and others through phone calls and social media.
Taylor generally transported stolen stays again to Pennsylvania, authorities stated, whereas on different events, the Lodges would submit stays to him and others.
Maclean and Taylor then allegedly resold the stolen stays for revenue.
Denise and Cedric Lodge each made their preliminary courtroom appearances on Wednesday in Concord, New Hampshire, and have been every launched on bail.
They declined remark as they left.
In addition to the 5 defendants already talked about, two others have been charged within the case.
Jeremy Pauley, age 41, of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, allegedly purchased some stays from Candace Chapman Scott, of Little Rock, Arkansas, who allegedly stole them from a mortuary the place she labored.
Authorities have stated Scott stole physique components from cadavers she was imagined to have cremated, noting lots of the our bodies had been donated to and used for analysis and academic functions by a medical faculty in Arkansas.
Pauley allegedly bought lots of the stolen stays to different individuals, together with people, together with Lampi.
Pauley and Lampi purchased and bought from one another over an prolonged time frame and exchanged greater than $100,000 in on-line funds, authorities stated.
Scott and Pauley each pleaded not responsible.
Source: information.sky.com”