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Those indicted for conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods charges— the goods being human body parts— are as follows according to the US Department of Justice:
- Cedric Lodge, age 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire. Katrina Maclean, age 44, of Salem, Massachusetts.
- Joshua Taylor, age 46, of West Lawn, Pennsylvania.
- Denise Lodge, age 63, of Goffstown, New Hampshire. Mathew Lampi, age 52, of East Bethel, Minnesota.
- Jeremy Pauley, age 41, of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
- Candace Chapman Scott, of Little Rock, Arkansas.
The sales of human remains happened between 2018 and 2022, according to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam.
Karam alleges that the above individuals operated a "nationwide network" to buy and sell "human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary," according to a release by the USDOJ.
Cedric Lodge managed the morgue for the Anatomical Gifts Program at Harvard Medical School. He is accused of stealing "organs and other parts of cadavers donated for medical research and education before their scheduled cremations. Lodge at times transported stolen remains from Boston to his residence in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where he and his wife, Denise Lodge, sold the remains to Katrina Maclean, Joshua Taylor, and others, making arrangements via cellular telephone and social media websites," as stated in the release.
Lodge, is also accused of allowing "Maclean and Taylor to enter the morgue at Harvard Medical School and examine cadavers to choose what to purchase. On some occasions, Taylor transported stolen remains back to Pennsylvania. On other occasions, the Lodges shipped stolen remains to Taylor and others out of state," Karam explained.
Jeremy Pauley not only purchased remains from Maclean and Taylor, but he also purchased stolen human remains from Candace Chapman Scott, according to the release. Scott had stolen the remains from a mortuary and crematorium where she was working in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The US Attorney noted the following disturbing details in Scott's particular case:
"Scott stole parts of cadavers she was supposed to have cremated, many of which had been donated to and used for research and educational purposes by an area medical school, as well as the corpses of two stillborn babies who were supposed to be cremated and returned as cremains to their families."
Pauley then sold most of the stolen remains he purchased, to other people including Matthew Lampi. Lampi and Pauley bought and sold from each other multiple times totaling over $100,000 in online payments, according to the release.
"The United States Attorney’s Office has and will continue to attempt to identify and contact as many of the victims and victims’ families affected by this case as possible," the USDOJ states in the release.
Anyone who believes they or a family member may have been affected by these thefts is asked to the Victim and Witness Unit at usapam-victim.information@usdoj.gov or (717) 614-4249.
You can read Harvard Medical School's full statement on the thefts here.
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