Heads, brains, skin, hands, faces, organs: Ex-Harvard employee stole body parts and sold them in black market

A former Harvard employee pleaded guilty to human trafficking involving the transportation of stolen human remains, US attorney’s office for the middle district of Pennsylvania announced.

Cedric Lodge, 57, from Goffstown, New Hampshire acknowledged his involvement in selling and transporting stolen human remains from Harvard Medical School morgue in Boston, Massachusetts, from 2018 through March 2020.

Lodge, who was then employed as the manager of the Harvard Medical School Morgue, removed various body parts from donated cadavers, including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads, and other parts after their use in research but before proper disposal as per donor agreements.


Without authorisation from his employer, donors or their families, Lodge transported these remains to his New Hampshire residence. He and his wife Denise Lodge then sold and shipped these remains to buyers across states, with transportation routes including Salem, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, Justice department said in a statement.

Lodge confirmed selling remains to Joshua Taylor and Andrew Ensanian, amongst others. These remains were often resold at higher prices, including to Jeremy Pauley, who has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen human remains.

Related cases have seen guilty pleas from multiple defendants, including Denise Lodge, Joshua Taylor, Andrew Ensanian, Matthew Lampi and Angelo Pereyra. Lampi received a 15-month prison sentence, while Pereyra got 18 months. Denise Lodge and Joshua Taylor await sentencing. Additionally, Candace Chapman-Scott, who stole remains from an Arkansas crematorium and sold them to Pauley in Pennsylvania, received a 15-year prison sentence in Arkansas federal court.


The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service and East Pennsboro Township Police Department conducted the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan Martin prosecuting.

Under federal law, this offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, supervised release following imprisonment and a fine. The Judge determines the sentence after considering federal sentencing statutes and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.