A man was buying human body parts online, according to the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office. Jeremy Pauley, 40, was arrested Thursday and is charged with abuse of a corpse, receiving stolen property and dealing in the proceeds of illegal activity. East Pennsboro Township. police received a report on June 14 about possible human body parts being sold online. On or about July 8, police were called to Pauley’s former home on North Enola Drive by a caller who reported finding possible human remains inside several buckets in the basement. The district attorney’s office said that after police executed a search warrant and seized the buckets, a forensic pathologist confirmed the remains were human body parts. According to a criminal complaint, those parts included brains, hearts, kidneys, spleens, livers, lungs and skin. Pauley purchased the remains through Facebook Messenger, according to investigators. Police said they obtained messages showing Pauley was trying to buy additional remains. of an Arkansas woman. These items were to be shipped via the US Postal Service in Pennsylvania. The district attorney’s office said the packages were intercepted in Scranton and contained human remains. The criminal complaint alleges the woman was stealing body parts from a mortuary in Arkansas and shipping them to Pennsylvania for sale. According to investigators, the human remains were determined to be the property of the University of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas for Medical Services spoke to News 8 sister station 40/29 News about the incident and provided this statement: “An employee of the Mortuary Service is under investigation by federal authorities for to have taken some human remains from the mortuary that were donated to UAMS. We are saddened and appalled that this has happened.” “This is one of the strangest investigations I’ve come across in my 33 years as a prosecutor. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, along comes a case like this,” said District Attorney Seán M. McCormack. Pauley was released on $50,000 unsecured bail, police said.
EAST PENNSBORO TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
A man was buying human body parts online, according to the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office.
Jeremy Pauley, 40, was arrested Thursday and is charged with abuse of a corpse, receiving stolen property and dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activity.
East Pennsboro Township police received a complaint June 14 about possible human body parts being sold online.
Around July 8, police were called to Pauley’s former home on North Enola Drive by a person who reported finding possible human remains inside several buckets in the basement.
The district attorney’s office said that after police executed a search warrant and seized the buckets, a forensic pathologist confirmed the remains were human body parts. According to a criminal complaint, those parts included brain, heart, kidney, spleen, liver, lungs and skin.
Pauley purchased the remains through Facebook Messenger, according to investigators.
Police said they obtained messages showing Pauley was trying to buy additional remains from a woman in Arkansas. These items were to be shipped via the US Postal Service in Pennsylvania. The district attorney’s office said the packages were intercepted in Scranton and contained human remains.
The criminal complaint alleges the woman was stealing body parts from a mortuary in Arkansas and shipping them to Pennsylvania to sell. According to investigators, the human remains were determined to be the property of the University of Arkansas.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Services spoke to News 8 sister station 40/29 News about the incident and provided this statement:
“A mortuary employee is under investigation by federal authorities for taking human remains from the mortuary that were donated to UAMS. We are saddened and appalled that this has happened.”
A criminal complaint alleges Pauley admitted to buying two shipments of human body parts to sell to people for monetary gain.
“This is one of the strangest investigations I’ve come across in my 33 years as a prosecutor. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, along comes a case like this,” said District Attorney Seán M. McCormack.
Pauley was released on $50,000 unsecured bail, police said.
