Former Harvard morgue director charged with theft and sale of human remains

A former director of the Harvard Medical School morgue, his wife and three other people have been indicted in connection with the theft and sale of human parts, Pennsylvania federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Cedric Lodge, 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, stole dissected cadaver parts that were donated to the college as part of a scheme that stretched from 2018 to early 2023, according to court documents. The human parts were taken without the knowledge or authorization of the university, authorities said, noting that the school has cooperated with the investigation.

Lodge sometimes took the remains — which included heads, brains, skin and bones — and brought them to his home where he lived with his wife, Denise, 63, while some other parts were mailed to buyers, according to reports. authorities. Lodge also allegedly allowed buyers to go to the morgue to choose the human remains they wanted to buy.

Cadavers donated to Harvard Medical School are used for educational, teaching, or research purposes. Once no longer needed, the bodies are usually cremated and the ashes returned to the donor’s family or buried in a cemetery.

In a message posted on the school’s website titled “An abhorrent betrayal,” deans George Daley and Edward Hundert referred to the matter as something “morally reprehensible”. They said Lodge was fired on May 6.

“We are shocked to learn that something so disturbing could have occurred on our campus, a community dedicated to healing and serving others.”, the deans wrote. “The reported incidents are a betrayal of the faculty and, more importantly, of each individual who altruistically chose to donate their bodies through the Anatomical Donations Program to advance medical education and research.”.

The indictment charges the Lodges and three others — Katrina Maclean, 44, of Salem, Massachusetts; Joshua Taylor, 46, of West Lawn, Pennsylvania; and Mathew Lampi, 52, of East Bethel, Minnesota—for racketeering and interstate transportation of stolen property. Lawyers for the defendants could not be reached at this time.

According to prosecutors, the defendants were part of a national network of people who bought and sold remains stolen from the school and from a morgue in Arkansas. The Lodges apparently sold remains to Maclean and Taylor, among others, in deals made through phone calls and social media.

Source: AP