Harvard University morgue director accused of selling body parts

Cedric Lodge and five other people became defendants on Wednesday (14) for an alleged sale of human remains, initially donated for study at Harvard Medical School.

*Warning: Text contains information that can be considered disturbing.

The former morgue director of the Harvard University School of Medicine, in the United States, and five other people became defendants Wednesday (14) in a lawsuit in which they are accused of buying and selling stolen human remains.

Cedric Lodge allegedly took pieces of “heads, brains, skin and bones” from cadavers donated to medical school and sold them online.

According to the indictment filed in the court, Cedric and his wife, Denise, sold body parts to buyers in the states of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

The scheme reportedly lasted from 2018 to 2021.

The defendants appeared in New Hampshire federal court Wednesday and refused to answer reporters’ questions.

The Lodges were convicted of conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen goods. If convicted, each faces up to 15 years in prison.

Prosecutors say Lodge took advantage of his position as director of Harvard Medical School’s anatomy donation program, responsible for the dismemberment and management of donated cadavers for medical research.

College students use the donated bodies to study and practice medical procedures. When the faculty has finished using the corpse, they are usually buried in the university’s medical cemetery or cremated, with their remains returned to their families.

“Sometimes Cedric Lodge allowed it [outros] walk into the Harvard Medical School morgue and analyze corpses to decide what to buy,” read an excerpt from a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.

Katrina Maclean of Salem, Massachusetts, and Joshua Taylor of West Lawn, Pennsylvania, were reportedly body parts buyers. They are also accused, as well as two other people to whom they resold the material.

According to the indictment, in October 2020, Maclean bought dissected faces for US$600 (about R$2,890 at current exchange rates) which he intended to tan into leather.

Maclean owns a shop called Kat’s Creepy Creations, whose social media shows she specializes in transforming dolls and making them look gothic or creepy.

It is unknown if any cadaver parts have been used in their products. Prosecutors allege Maclean stored and sold human remains in the shop.

Joshua Taylor, meanwhile, allegedly made 39 electronic payments to Denise Lodge in exchange for body parts, totaling more than $37,000 over four years.

Prosecutors presented as evidence a Paypal receipt for a $1,000 purchase for the “head number 7” item.

“Some crimes defy our understanding,” District Attorney Gerard M. Karam said in a statement. “The theft and trafficking of human remains affects the very essence of what makes us human.”

George Q. Daley, dean of Harvard University School of Medicine, said he was “horrified to learn that something so disturbing could be happening in our campusand confirmed that the employment contract with Cedric Lodge was terminated on May 6.

“We are very sorry for the pain this news will cause to the families and loved ones of our donors, and Harvard Medical School is committed to supporting them during this deeply distressing time.”

Source: Terra

Rose

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