Harvard morgue case
 | Parts of this article (those related to https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/9/12/cadaver-buyer-pleads-guilty/) need to be updated. (September 2023) |
In June 2023, Cedric Lodge, his wife and three other individuals were indicted for conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods.[1] Lodge, a morgue manager at Harvard Medical School, had access to bodies willed by their owners for academic research. While working at the school he allegedly sold human body parts on the internet.[2]
Harvard Medical School incident
[edit]Lodge worked as the morgue manager under the Anatomical Gift Program at Harvard Medical School from 1995 until his firing on May 6, 2023.[3] The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania accused of him of conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods. From roughly 2018 to 2022, Lodge allegedly delivered human remains by post to customers, who sometimes visited the morgue to choose their preferred body parts.[4] While selling services associated with the cost of procuring cadavers is not illegal in the United States, selling bodies or body parts is.[5]
The parts stolen and sold included heads, brains, skin, bones, vital organs and other human parts.[6] Other reports state that the operation allegedly sold stillborn babies due for cremation.[7] One of the indicted buyers had posted a photo of a real human skull on Instagram and another had purchased skin with the intent to make leather.[8][9]
On June 14 Cedric and 4 others, including his wife, were indicted by a grand jury on allegations of theft and sale of body parts. The charges includes charges of conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods.[4] The case is USA v. Lodge, 23-cr-00159, US District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania.[10]
On September 8 Jeremy Pauley pleaded guilty to his charges and admitted to his role in a nationwide network buying and selling human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary.[1]
The public court case docket shows that Lodge and co-defendants are scheduled for trial no earlier than April 2024.[1]
Reactions
[edit]Harvard
[edit]In a memo titled 'An abhorrent betrayal' by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, George Q. Daley, Harvard condemned the crime as a ‘betrayal’ to the school and donors.[11] Harvard also disclosed that Lodge acted “without the knowledge or permission of HMS”.[12] Lodge was fired.[13] Harvard appointed an external panel to evaluate their anatomical donor program and their morgue policies.[14]
Donors
[edit]Paula Peltonovich and her sister Darlene Lynch were children to police officer parents who had willed their bodies to science. On getting the news that the remains of their father, who died in 2019, were among those reported stolen, they requested the withdrawal of their mother's body, who died in March 2023, from the school.[15][16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Update on Criminal Investigation into Cedric Lodge". Harvard Medical School. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Helmore, Edward (2023-06-15). "Four indicted over 'appalling' theft of body parts from Harvard Medical School". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Stieb, Matt (2023-06-14). "Harvard Morgue Manager Was Allegedly Selling Body Parts From His Home". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ a b Levenson, Michael (2023-06-14). "Harvard Medical School Morgue Manager Sold Body Parts, U.S. Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Anteby, Michel (2009). "A Market for Human Cadavers in All but Name?" (PDF). Economic Sociology_the European Electronic Newsletter. 11 (1): 3–7.
- ^ "Harvard Medical School responds to allegation of body parts stolen from morgue and sold online: 'Morally reprehensible' - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Elibert, Mark. "Harvard Morgue Manager And Associates Charged With Trafficking Human Remains, Sold Parts Via Facebook And PayPal". Complex. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Skinner, Anna (2023-06-15). "Woman posted human skull on Instagram before Harvard morgue indictment". Newsweek. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "Harvard morgue manager charged with selling body parts". BBC News. 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "Harvard Medical Morgue Chief Charged With Selling Body Parts". Time. 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "Messages from the Dean". hms.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "Ex-Harvard Medical School Morgue Manager Indicted, Accused of Stealing and Selling Human Remains | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "Harvard morgue manager charged with theft, sale of body parts". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Ly, Laura (2023-06-14). "A former Harvard morgue manager is accused of stealing, selling and shipping human body parts, indictment says". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "Former Harvard morgue manager stole brains, skin and other body parts to sell them, indictment says". AP NEWS. 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Fortin, Matt; Margain, Oscar; Klein • •, Asher (2023-06-15). "Human body parts stolen from Harvard morgue. What we know about the 'disturbing' scheme". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2023-06-18.