The former director of the Harvard Medical School morgue is accused of stealing and selling human organs and remains.
The federal prosecutor’s office confirmed Wednesday that Cedric Lodge, 55, his wife and four others are charged with serving four years for stealing organs and other body parts from donated cadavers for teaching and research purposes.
Among other things, they face charges of “conspiracy” and “transportation of stolen property,” says the office’s press release, which confirms information first revealed by The Boston Globe.
Cedric Lodge, Denise Lodge, and Katrina McClain, 44, of Massachusetts, were arrested without incident on Wednesday, authorities said.
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From 2018 to 2022, the group allegedly contributed to a national network that bought and sold human remains from Harvard Medical School, but also from the Arkansas morgue, according to the charges.
Cedric Lodge allegedly transported “heads, brains, skin, bones and other human remains” stolen from Boston to his residence in New Hampshire.
He allegedly sold it with his wife, Denise Lodge, to Katrina McClain, owner of a shop called Kat’s Creepy Creation, Joshua Taylor, and some others via cell phones and social media.
On the store’s Instagram account, which went private on Wednesday evening, you can see spooky dolls and “creations of art,” particularly with human vertebrae.
instagram @katscreepycreations
Katrina McClain, I worked alongside the chief of cadaver at Harvard Medical School Cedric Lodge. In the snapshot, we see the 11 human vertebrae she posted on Instagram.
At times, Lodge reportedly let McClain and Taylor into the morgue so they could “choose” what they wanted to buy.
“heinous” actions
Prosecutor Gerard Karam denounces the “outrageous” and “appalling” actions, and promises justice for the relatives.
In an email released to the public, the deans of Harvard Medical School expressed their “dismay at learning that something deeply disturbing could happen on a campus dedicated to the care and service of others.”
They state that Mr. Lodge was fired in May and that “investigators believe he acted without the assistance of anyone at Harvard.”
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