Current:Home > MyHarvard Medical School morgue manager accused of selling body parts as part of "stolen human remains" criminal network-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Harvard Medical School morgue manager accused of selling body parts as part of "stolen human remains" criminal network
View Date:2024-12-23 22:28:56
Harvard Medical School's morgue manager has been accused of selling body parts as part of a "stolen human remains" criminal network, according to a federal complaint unsealed Wednesday.
Morgue manager Cedric Lodge, his wife Denise and two others — Katrina MacLean and Joshua Taylor — allegedly conspired with Jeremy Pauley to sell human remains for a profit, the documents from the Middle District of Pennsylvania state.
Pauley, who was charged in August 2022 with multiple counts related to the alleged purchase and sale of corpses, allegedly bought body parts from MacLean, court documents said. Investigators then found that, since about 2018, MacLean and Taylor had been selling human parts and remains that they had purchased from the Lodges.
Lodge on several occasions allegedly let Maclean and Taylor examine cadavers at the Harvard Medical School morgue so that they could pick which ones they wanted to buy, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said in a statement. Lodge also allegedly shipped human remains to Taylor and others who were not in Pennsylvania, the statement said.
Harvard Medical School fired Lodge on May 6, the school's dean said in a statement. "Investigators believe that Lodge acted without the knowledge or cooperation of anyone else at HMS or Harvard," the statement said.
An estimated 20,000 people donate their bodies to science for the purpose of medical research and education every year. But unlike organ donation, these body parts and remains can be bought and sold for profit — in a market with very few federal regulations.
Court documents allege that MacLean and Taylor sold human body parts to numerous buyers and that MacLean also stored and sold remains in Kat's Creepy Creations, her store in Salem, Massachusetts. The store's Instagram page says it specializes in "creepy dolls, oddities, and bone art," and one post was captioned, "If you're in the market for human bones hit me up," CBS Boston reported.
In June or July of 2021, MacLean sent Pauley human skin and asked him to tan the skin to create leather, the court documents allege. MacLean then allegedly contacted Lodge at Harvard Medical School and asked him to help her locate skin for "the dude I sent the chest piece to tan."
Pauley was arrested in Pennsylvania on July 22, 2022 by East Pennsboro Township Police for abusing a corpse, receiving stolen property and other charges. Described as a "collector of oddities," Pauley posted pictures of body parts and other items on his Facebook page, Instagram account and his website, which has since been made private.
The pages advertised his collection and an event in 2022 that ended up being canceled that had offered access to unique oddities at a hotel outside of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Pauley told police he obtained all of the items legally, but court documents and investigators paint a different picture.
In May, police returned to Pauley's home after a federal indictment in Arkansas alleged he purchased nearly $11,000 of body parts from Candace Chapman Scott, a 36-year-old former mortuary worker at Arkansas Central Mortuary Services.
That indictment didn't name Pauley directly as the buyer, but police located three 5-gallon buckets containing various human remains in his basement.
According to court records, Pauley is next expected to appear before a Pennsylvania Magisterial District judge for a preliminary hearing on July 5. A request for comment from Pauley's attorney wasn't immediately returned.
The Lodges appeared in court in New Hampshire on Wednesday afternoon. They will next have to appear in a Pennsylvania court, CBS Boston's Kristina Rex reported.
MacLean is due in federal court in Boston.
— Justin Sherman contributed reporting
- In:
- Pennsylvania
- United States Department of Justice
- Arkansas
- Harvard Medical School
Cara Tabachnick is a news editor for CBSNews.com. Contact her at [email protected]
veryGood! (81844)
Related
- Channing Tatum Drops Shirtless Selfie After Zoë Kravitz Breakup
- CBS News poll finds Americans feel inflation's impact on living standards, opportunities
- Vikings beat Raiders 3-0 in lowest-scoring NFL game in 16 years
- These Deals on Winter Boots Were Made For Walking & So Much More
- Mississippi man charged with shooting 5 people after not being allowed into party
- Supreme Courts in 3 states will hear cases about abortion access this week
- Guyana agreed to talks with Venezuela over territorial dispute under pressure from Brazil, others
- UK sends 2 minehunters to Ukraine as Britain and Norway seek to bolster Kyiv’s navy in the Black Sea
- Lost luggage? This new Apple feature will let you tell the airline exactly where it is.
- Biden administration says New Hampshire computer chip plant the first to get funding from CHIPS law
Ranking
- Judge sets April trial date for Sarah Palin’s libel claim against The New York Times
- Kenya falls into darkness in the third nationwide power blackout in 3 months
- Bronny James makes college debut for USC nearly 5 months after cardiac arrest
- A rare piebald cow elk is spotted in Colorado by a wildlife biologist: See pictures
- Missouri prosecutor says he won’t charge Nelly after an August drug arrest
- Vermont Sheriff’s Association calls for sheriff who kicked shackled prisoner to resign
- A 50-year-old Greek woman was mauled to death by neighbor’s 3 dogs. The dogs’ owner arrested
- Watch Hip-Hop At 50: Born in the Bronx, a CBS New York special presentation
Recommendation
-
Tom Brady Admits He Screwed Up as a Dad to Kids With Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bündchen
-
Golden Globe nominations 2024: 'Barbie' leads with 9, 'Oppenheimer' scores 8
-
Biden invites Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet with him at the White House
-
Northeast under wind, flood warnings as large storm passes
-
Surprise bids revive hope for offshore wind in Gulf of Mexico after feds cancel lease sale
-
Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert suffers right index fracture vs. Denver Broncos
-
Golden Globes 2024: The Nominations Are Finally Here
-
BTS members RM and V start compulsory military service in South Korea. Band seeks to reunite in 2025