BOSTON: Two faces dissected for $600. Human brains for $200. “Head #7” for $1,000.
A former Harvard Medical School morgue director, his wife and a Peabody business owner are among six people accused of trafficking these and other stolen human remains that were intended to be used by investigators in a grotesque multi-state scheme, with part of the body stolen. pieces sold through Facebook and PayPal and sent through US Postal Service mail, court documents allege.
Cedric Lodge, 55, and his wife, Denise Lodge, 63, both of Goffstown, New Hampshire, and Katrina Maclean, 44, of Salem, owners of Kat’s Creepy Creations in Peabody, were charged with a federal grand jury in Pennsylvania on conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Also indicted on the trafficking charges were Joshua Taylor, 46, of West Lawn, Pennsylvania, and Mathew Lampi, 52, of East Bethel, Minnesota. Additionally, Jeremy Pauley, 41, of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted by criminal information, and Candace Chapman Scott, of Little Rock, Arkansas, was previously indicted in the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Prosecutors allege that from 2018 to 2022, Cedric Lodge, while managing the morgue for Harvard Medical School’s anatomical gift program, stole organs and other parts from corpses donated for medical research and education before their scheduled cremations, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
Cedric Lodge is accused of taking body parts stolen from the university’s morgue to his home in Goffstown, New Hampshire, from where his wife, Denise, later sold the remains to Katrina Maclean, owner of Kat’s Creepy Creations in Peabody, court documents allege.
In March, FBI agents were seen at the Maclean’s Peabody business and the Salem home. Kat’s Creepy Creations sells dolls and “Creations that boggle the mind and shake the soul. Creepy Dolls, Oddities, Bone Art,” according to the business’ Instagram page.
Denise Lodge also sold the remains to Joshua Taylor and others, making arrangements through cellphones and social media websites, the US attorney’s office said.
“At times, Cedric Lodge allowed Maclean and Taylor to enter the morgue at Harvard Medical School and examine the corpses in order to choose what to buy,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said. “On some occasions, Taylor transported the stolen remains to Pennsylvania. On other occasions, the Lodges shipped stolen remains to Taylor and others out of state.
Harvard University officials reported the alleged crimes on campus on Wednesday.
“We are appalled that something so disturbing could happen on our campus: a community dedicated to healing and serving others,” George Daley, dean of Harvard Medical School, and Edward Hundert, dean of Education Doctor of the Harvard Medical School. , said in a joint statement.
“The reported incidents are a betrayal of HMS and, most importantly, of each of the individuals who selflessly chose to donate their bodies to HMS through the Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research “, the statement said. “We deeply regret 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.”
Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Program accepts donations of cadavers from the public for research use by medical and dental students, according to the school’s website.
Within a period of up to 24 months, when studies are completed, Harvard Medical School “will conduct the disposition of the remains as elected in the Instrument of Anatomical Gift, to the extent consistent with the current policy of Harvard Medical School.” the website said.
Individuals may retrieve the remains at the expense of the donor’s estate or family for private burial, or may request that the school arrange for cremation.
Cremated remains may be returned to the donor’s delegate, picked up at Harvard, or buried at Tewksbury’s Pine Hill Cemetery in a registered grave, provided by Harvard, according to the school. A memorial service for donors buried at Pine Hill Cemetery is held each fall.
Prosecutors allege that after the Lodges bought and shipped the stolen remains out of state, Maclean and Taylor resold the remains for profit, including to Pauley in Pennsylvania. Pauley also bought stolen human remains from Scott, who stole remains from his employer, a mortuary and crematorium in Little Rock, Arkansas, the US attorney’s office said.
“Scott stole parts of the corpses he was supposed to have cremated, many of which had been donated and used for educational and research purposes by a local medical school, as well as the corpses of two dead babies who were supposed to be cremated and returned. as cremations to their families,” the US Attorney’s office said. “Scott sold the stolen scraps to Pauley and shipped them to Pauley in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Pauley sold many of the stolen scraps he bought to other people, including Matthew Lampi. Lampi and Pauley bought and sold each other over an extended period of time and exchanged over $100,000 in online payments.”
“Some crimes defy understanding,” U.S. Attorney Gerard Karam of Pennsylvania said in a statement. “The theft and trafficking of human remains strikes at the very essence of what makes us human. It is particularly egregious that many of the victims here have volunteered to allow their remains to be used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of science and healing.”
“For them and their families to be taken advantage of in the name of profit is appalling,” Karam said. “With these charges, we are seeking some measure of justice for all of these victims. I would like to thank Harvard Medical School, who is also a victim here, for their cooperation in this investigation. Additionally, this prosecution would not have been possible without the close cooperation and hard work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Postal Inspection Service and the United States Attorney’s offices in several districts, including the Eastern District of Arkansas . From the beginning, this has been a multi-jurisdictional investigation and our two offices have worked side by side to bring justice for these victims.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said in a statement that “the defendants violated the trust of the deceased and their families in the name of greed.”
“While today’s charges cannot undo the unfathomable pain this heinous crime has caused, the FBI will continue to work tirelessly to ensure justice is served,” Maguire said.
The United States Attorney’s Office is working to identify and contact as many victims and families of victims affected by this case as possible. Anyone who believes they or a family member may have been affected by this case of trafficking in stolen human remains is urged to call the Victim Witness Unit at 717-614-4249 or email at usapam-victim.information@usdoj.gov.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the East Pennsboro Township Police Department and the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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