Harvard Morgue Trafficking: A former manager of the morgue at Harvard Medical School has been accused of permitting the sale of various body parts from donated cadavers, including heads, brains, and skin.
Federal charges have been brought against six individuals who are accused of engaging in the illicit sale of stolen human body parts from the morgue at Harvard Medical School. Cedric Lodge, aged 55 and recently dismissed from his position as morgue manager, allegedly orchestrated the sale of dissected body parts, including heads, brains, and skin, which had been donated to the school’s Anatomical Gift Program for research and educational purposes. The allegations are based on a federal indictment.
According to authorities, the donors were initially informed that their bodies would be respectfully cremated and either returned to their families or sent to a cemetery after their use in research. However, it is alleged that between 2018 and 2022, Lodge, with the assistance of his wife, Denise Lodge, aged 63, sold fragments of the donated remains to various buyers both online and in-person.
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One of the accused, Katrina Maclean, aged 44, is implicated in the purchase of the human remains. Maclean operates a Massachusetts store named “Kat’s Creepy Creations,” which predominantly showcases macabre dolls, as evidenced by the store’s social media profiles. These details are outlined in the federal indictment.
A lodge has been accused of permitting individuals to enter the medical school’s morgue and choose the human remains they desired to purchase. Cedric Lodge allegedly facilitated the sale of two dissected faces to Maclean in 2020 for $600. Additionally, Maclean supposedly acquired human skin and sent it to Jeremy Pauley in Pennsylvania to be transformed into leather.
According to authorities, Joshua Taylor from Pennsylvania and Mathew Lampi from Minnesota also purchased human remains. Cedric Lodge purportedly allowed Maclean and Taylor access to the medical school’s morgue to select the remains they wished to buy.
Cedric and Denise Lodge, along with Taylor, Lampi, and Maclean, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods.
Jeremy Pauley faces separate charges of conspiracy and transportation of stolen goods for allegedly purchasing body parts from Maclean, Lampi, and a worker from a mortuary and crematorium in Arkansas.
The mortuary worker, Candace Chapman Scott, is facing 12 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen property in a separate case. She pleaded not guilty to the charges last month.
An attorney representing Cedric and Denise Lodge did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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U.S. Attorney Gerard Karam stated, “Some crimes defy understanding. It is particularly egregious that so many of the victims here volunteered to allow their remains to be used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of science and healing. For them and their families to be taken advantage of in the name of profit is appalling.”
The indictment reveals that Taylor made 39 payments totaling $37,355.56 to Denise Lodge for human remains. One payment of $1,000 was allegedly for a head, and another payment of $200 was labeled as “braiiiiiins.”
Pauley supposedly transferred $8,800 to Maclean and $40,049.04 to Taylor. Lampi and Pauley allegedly exchanged over $100,000 through online payments over an extended period.
According to the indictment, Maclean seemingly acknowledged the illegal nature of the transactions, expressing concern to Pauley about the potential involvement of law enforcement if their shipments were lost in the mail.
Harvard’s medical school condemned the thefts as “morally reprehensible” and stated that it is actively investigating the potential impact on anatomical donors.
“We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus—a community dedicated to healing and serving others,” the school expressed in a statement. “We are deeply sorry for the anguish this news will cause to the families and loved ones of our anatomical donors, and HMS pledges to engage with them during this distressing time.”
The school has established an external panel of experts to assess its Anatomical Gift Program and review morgue policies and practices.
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