Former Harvard mortuary chief accused of selling human remains

A former director of the mortuary at the Harvard University School of Medicine, in the United States, was accused on Wednesday (June 14, 2023) of stealing and selling human body parts donated to the institution for the purposes of teaching and medical research.

A Pennsylvania district court has indicted Cedric Lodge, 55, and his wife Denise Lodge, 63, as well as 3 others for the alleged crime, which was allegedly committed from 2018 to 2022. ).

According to the court, Lodge transported remains – which included heads, brains, skin and bones – from Boston to his home in Goffstown, New Hampshire. He and his wife sold the shares to Katrina Maclean (owner of Kat’s Creepy Creations doll shop) and Joshua Taylor (whose occupation is undisclosed). Agreements were made over the phone and through social media.

“Sometimes, Cedric Lodge allowed Maclean and Taylor to enter the Harvard Medical School mortuary and examine the corpses to choose what to buy.”said prosecutor Gerard Karam.

If found guilty, the suspects face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

WHAT THE UNIVERSITY SAYS

In a statement released on Wednesday (June 14), the dean of the Harvard Medical School, George Daley, and the dean of Medical Education, Edward Hundert, called the alleged crimes “betrayal”.

“We are shocked to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus – a community dedicated to healing and serving others. Reported incidents are a betrayal of HMS [sigla em inglês para Escola de Medicina de Harvard] and, most importantly, to each of the individuals who selflessly chose to donate their bodies.”they said.