(Trends Wide) — A former Harvard Medical School morgue attendant is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing, selling and shipping human body parts, according to an indictment.
Cedric Lodge, 55, who worked at the Boston Medical School mortuary, “stole dissected parts of donated cadavers, including … heads, brains, skin, bones, and other human remains, without the knowledge or permission from (the college) and removed those remains from the Massachusetts mortuary and transported them to his residence in New Hampshire,” according to the federal indictment, filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Lodge allegedly conspired with his wife, Denise, 63, to sell the human remains to others, including Katrina Maclean, 44, and Joshua Taylor, 46, according to the indictment.
Maclean is the owner of Kat’s Creepy Creations, a store in Peabody, Massachusetts, where she allegedly sold the stolen body parts to others, according to court documents.
The Lodges, Maclean and Taylor are charged with conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Attempts by Trends Wide to contact the Lodges and Maclean for comment were unsuccessful. Taylor’s attorney, Christopher Opiel, told Trends Wide they have no comment on the allegations.
“Some crimes are incomprehensible,” said Gerard M. Karam, attorney for the central district of Pennsylvania.
“The theft and trafficking of human remains attacks the very essence of what makes us human. It is especially egregious that many of the victims volunteered to have their remains used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of the public.” science and healing. It is appalling that they and their families are taken advantage of in the name of profit. With these charges, we aim to ensure some measure of justice for all these victims.”
Federal prosecutors said in a news release that three other people also face charges in separate indictments in connection with the case, including a person who was previously charged in Arkansas.
Cedric Lodge was fired by Harvard Medical School on May 6, according to a letter from the university. University officials called Lodge’s behavior “abhorrent treason.” The other defendants are not affiliated with Harvard.
Human remains are voluntarily donated to Harvard Medical School for educational purposes. When the medical school finishes using the remains, they are typically cremated and returned to the donor’s family or interred in a Tewksbury, Massachusetts, cemetery, prosecutors said in court documents.
The Lodges are alleged to have stolen, sold and transported the remains — sometimes through the United States Postal Service — from 2018 until early March 2023, according to prosecutors.
They are accused of communicating with the buyers, including Maclean and Taylor, through cell phone calls and social media, the indictment states.
Cedric Lodge also reportedly allowed Maclean and Taylor into the Harvard Medical School morgue so they could choose which remains to buy, according to the indictment. Maclean allegedly paid Cedric Lodge $600 for two stuffed faces in October 2020, according to the indictment.
Maclean is also charged with selling stolen body parts to other buyers in multiple states, including allegedly selling human skin to a Pennsylvania man who tanned it to create leather, according to the indictment.
Taylor has paid more than $37,000 through 39 PayPal payments to the Lodges for the body parts, prosecutors said.
On May 19, 2019, Taylor allegedly sent a $1,000 payment to Denise Lodge with the note “head number 7.” In November 2020, Taylor allegedly sent $200 with a note reading “braiiiiiiins.” [cerebros].
Both Maclean and Taylor are accused of accepting nearly $50,000 in PayPal payments in 2021 and 2022 from the same man in Pennsylvania for the stolen human remains, the indictment said.
Harvard calls the crime “betrayal” of the school and donors
Harvard University officials said Wednesday that they are “appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on (their) campus, a community dedicated to healing and serving others.”
“The reported incidents are a betrayal of HMS and, more importantly, of every individual who selflessly chose to donate their bodies to HMS through the Anatomical Donations Program to advance medical education and research.” , Harvard Medical School deans George Daley and Edward Hundert wrote in a letter to the community.
“We are deeply sorry for the pain this news will cause the families and loved ones of our anatomical donors, and HMS is committed to engaging with them during this deeply distressing time.”
The medical school said it is working with federal authorities to examine the records and determine which donated bodies were affected.
The US attorney’s office will continue to work to identify the victims and contact their families, according to the university.
Harvard also appointed an outside group to evaluate its anatomical donor program and mortuary policies “with the goal of providing constructive feedback and recommendations to improve the safety of the program and the generous whole body donations it receives.” according to the letter.
— Trends Wide’s Nic Anderson and Julie In contributed to this report.
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(Trends Wide) — A former Harvard Medical School morgue attendant is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing, selling and shipping human body parts, according to an indictment.
Cedric Lodge, 55, who worked at the Boston Medical School mortuary, “stole dissected parts of donated cadavers, including … heads, brains, skin, bones, and other human remains, without the knowledge or permission from (the college) and removed those remains from the Massachusetts mortuary and transported them to his residence in New Hampshire,” according to the federal indictment, filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Lodge allegedly conspired with his wife, Denise, 63, to sell the human remains to others, including Katrina Maclean, 44, and Joshua Taylor, 46, according to the indictment.
Maclean is the owner of Kat’s Creepy Creations, a store in Peabody, Massachusetts, where she allegedly sold the stolen body parts to others, according to court documents.
The Lodges, Maclean and Taylor are charged with conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Attempts by Trends Wide to contact the Lodges and Maclean for comment were unsuccessful. Taylor’s attorney, Christopher Opiel, told Trends Wide they have no comment on the allegations.
“Some crimes are incomprehensible,” said Gerard M. Karam, attorney for the central district of Pennsylvania.
“The theft and trafficking of human remains attacks the very essence of what makes us human. It is especially egregious that many of the victims volunteered to have their remains used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of the public.” science and healing. It is appalling that they and their families are taken advantage of in the name of profit. With these charges, we aim to ensure some measure of justice for all these victims.”
Federal prosecutors said in a news release that three other people also face charges in separate indictments in connection with the case, including a person who was previously charged in Arkansas.
Cedric Lodge was fired by Harvard Medical School on May 6, according to a letter from the university. University officials called Lodge’s behavior “abhorrent treason.” The other defendants are not affiliated with Harvard.
Human remains are voluntarily donated to Harvard Medical School for educational purposes. When the medical school finishes using the remains, they are typically cremated and returned to the donor’s family or interred in a Tewksbury, Massachusetts, cemetery, prosecutors said in court documents.
The Lodges are alleged to have stolen, sold and transported the remains — sometimes through the United States Postal Service — from 2018 until early March 2023, according to prosecutors.
They are accused of communicating with the buyers, including Maclean and Taylor, through cell phone calls and social media, the indictment states.
Cedric Lodge also reportedly allowed Maclean and Taylor into the Harvard Medical School morgue so they could choose which remains to buy, according to the indictment. Maclean allegedly paid Cedric Lodge $600 for two stuffed faces in October 2020, according to the indictment.
Maclean is also charged with selling stolen body parts to other buyers in multiple states, including allegedly selling human skin to a Pennsylvania man who tanned it to create leather, according to the indictment.
Taylor has paid more than $37,000 through 39 PayPal payments to the Lodges for the body parts, prosecutors said.
On May 19, 2019, Taylor allegedly sent a $1,000 payment to Denise Lodge with the note “head number 7.” In November 2020, Taylor allegedly sent $200 with a note reading “braiiiiiiins.” [cerebros].
Both Maclean and Taylor are accused of accepting nearly $50,000 in PayPal payments in 2021 and 2022 from the same man in Pennsylvania for the stolen human remains, the indictment said.
Harvard calls the crime “betrayal” of the school and donors
Harvard University officials said Wednesday that they are “appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on (their) campus, a community dedicated to healing and serving others.”
“The reported incidents are a betrayal of HMS and, more importantly, of every individual who selflessly chose to donate their bodies to HMS through the Anatomical Donations Program to advance medical education and research.” , Harvard Medical School deans George Daley and Edward Hundert wrote in a letter to the community.
“We are deeply sorry for the pain this news will cause the families and loved ones of our anatomical donors, and HMS is committed to engaging with them during this deeply distressing time.”
The medical school said it is working with federal authorities to examine the records and determine which donated bodies were affected.
The US attorney’s office will continue to work to identify the victims and contact their families, according to the university.
Harvard also appointed an outside group to evaluate its anatomical donor program and mortuary policies “with the goal of providing constructive feedback and recommendations to improve the safety of the program and the generous whole body donations it receives.” according to the letter.
— Trends Wide’s Nic Anderson and Julie In contributed to this report.
