The morgue manager, along with his wife, are accused of selling body pieces to buyers. One buyer specialized in "creepy toys, oddities, and bone art." A payment memo for 200 dollars reportedly said "braiiiiiins."

The morgue manager at Harvard Medical School, along with his wife, are accused of selling and stealing body parts. They also allowed others to raid the school in order to "examine the cadavers and choose what to buy."

Cedric Lodge, the manager of the school in question ( top left), and his wife Denise Lodge were two of six people that the U.S. Attorney's Office identified this week as being involved in the trafficking in human remains between 2018 and 2022 from the mortuary in Arkansas and the school. A federal grand jury indicted the Lodges along with Mathew Lami (bottom left), Katrina Maclean of Salem Massachusetts, and Joshua Taylor from West Lawn Pennsylvania on charges of conspiracy, interstate transportation of stolen goods, and extortion.

A press release issued by the Attorney's Office claims that Cedric "stole the organs and parts of cadavers given for medical research and educational purposes before they were scheduled to be cremated." He allegedly brought the remains into his New Hampshire house before selling them to Maclean Taylor and "others." Lodge is accused of allowing Maclean and Taylor to enter the mortuary to examine the bodies before they made their purchases. This was done without informing the school, or family members of those who had died.

Maclean owns Kat's Creepy Creations. The company specializes in "creepy toys, oddities and bones art." Mass Live reported that she posted about her creations on Instagram and in 2020, showed one of them with a "real skull." She said at the time: "If you are in the market for real human skulls, hit me up." Even after the FBI raided her home in March this year, she continued to share her bone art. Her social media pages have been closed down.

Maclean, according to the indictment "engaged his services" to tan skin in order to make leather. According to the indictment, she paid him with more skin instead of cash. Maclean allegedly also asked Cedric for more tissue to be sent to "the guy I sent the chestpiece to tan" and later contacted buyer to confirm shipment's delivery by saying "wanted to ensure it got to you, and I didn't expect agents to arrive at my door."

Taylor is said to be the one who made 39 transactions totaling $37.355.56 to a PayPal Account allegedly run by Denise. According to the authorities, the memo for a $200 payment read "braiiiiins" while a $1,000 payment said "head number 7". Taylor and Maclean have both been accused of selling the remains stolen for profit.

Pauley, a former police officer and convicted felon, was arrested in the fall of last year after authorities received complaints about body parts possibly being sold via Facebook. In the basement, authorities allegedly discovered "possible remains of human beings" including skin and organs. Pauly allegedly bought stolen remains from Candace Chapman Scott who worked in a Little Rock mortuary.

According to the Attorney's Office Scott, who had previously been indicted "stole the parts of cadavers that she was supposed have cremated. Many of these were donated and used by a local medical school for research and education purposes, as well the corpses and cremains of two stillborn infants who were supposed be cremated and sent back to their families as cremains." Pauley allegedly exchanged $100,000 online for some of the stolen remains.

Scott, Pauley, and Taylor all pleaded no contest.

In a press release, United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam said that "some crimes are beyond comprehension". The theft and trafficking in human remains is a crime that goes against the very nature of humanity. It is especially egregious because so many victims volunteered for their remains to be used in order to educate medical personnel and further the interests of healing and science. It is appalling that they and their families were exploited in the name profit. "We are trying to bring justice to all of these victims with these charges."

Jacqueline Maguire, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge said that the defendants had violated the trust placed in them by the families of the deceased in the name greed. The FBI will work tirelessly until justice is done, even though today's charges can't undo the pain caused by this horrendous crime.

The Postal Inspection Service, Philadelphia Division Inspector Christopher Nielsen said: "Using the United States Mail to facilitate the theft or shipment of human remains constitutes a federal offense and we will do all that we can to stop this."

The Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Dean of Medical Education and the Dean of Medical Education posted a statement on the Harvard Medical School's website that called the situation "abhorrent" betrayal. They also said Lodge's actions were "morally repugnant."

Investigators believe Lodge acted alone, without the knowledge of or collaboration from anyone at HMS or Harvard. Lodge was indicted with other individuals who were not affiliated with Harvard," the statement continued, adding that "we are horrified to hear that something so disturbing can happen on our campus."

The Attorney's Office continues to work on identifying victims and contacting their families.

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Title: Six Charged In Trafficking Human Remains Stolen from Harvard Morgue; Brains Sold, Skin Turned Into Leather
Sourced From: www.toofab.com/2023/06/16/six-charged-in-trafficking-human-remains-stolen-from-harvard-morgue/
Published Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2023 17:21:10 +0000

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