A former Harvard Medical School morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, pleaded guilty to a years-long scheme involving body parts being stolen and sold on the black market. Specifically, Lodge manages to sell brains, asking, faces, and even dissected heads, among other body parts, as part of his gruesome illegal business.
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According to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Cedric Lodge faces up to 10 years of imprisonment followed by a period of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen human remains on Wednesday, May 21.
Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus reported in the release that Lodge admitted to carrying out the illegal human remains business “from 2018 through at least March 2020.”
Stolen Human Remains
At the time, Lodge worked as the Harvard Medical School Morgue’s manager. In secret, the former manager removed human remains from the school’s donated cadavers. Reportedly, these cadavers had already served their research and teaching purposes.
The release details that he managed to steal “organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads,” among other body parts. This took place before the bodies could be disposed of.
Lodge would then take the remains with him and store them at his New Hampshire house. He, alongside his wife, Denise Lodge, sold the body parts on the black market. They would ship the parts to the buyers throughout the United States, or the buyers would pick them up themselves. As per the release, the Lodges sent stolen body parts to places such as Salem, Massachusetts, New Hamphipre, and Pennsylvania.
“Lodge admitted to having sold remains to Joshua Taylor and Andrew Ensanian, among others,” the release added. “Many of the remains purchased from Lodge were resold for a profit.”
Several other suspects entered guilty pleas in connection with Lodge’s illegal business. Among them is Denise Lodge, who is still awaiting sentencing.
Harvard Reaction
Harvard Medical School Dean George Daley shared a statement with Fox News Digital. There, he addressed Lodge’s guilty plea and crimes.
“Cedric Lodge’s criminal actions were morally reprehensible and a disgraceful betrayal of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research,” Daley wrote.
“While Lodge has agreed to plead guilty and taken responsibility for his crimes, this likely provides little consolation to the families impacted. We continue to express our deep compassion to all those affected.”