In a shocking and heinous crime, federal prosecutors have charged seven people in an alleged nationwide network that trafficked stolen human body parts and remains taken from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary. The network involved the desecration of stillborn babies, faces, brains, hearts, skin, genitalia, bones, and other body parts in exchanges that netted defendants thousands of dollars.
Key figures in the alleged network are: Cedric Lodge, who managed the morgue for the Anatomical Gifts Program at Harvard Medical School, and Candace Chapman Scott, who worked at a local mortuary and crematorium in Arkansas. According to US Attorney Gerard Karam, between 2018 and 2022, Lodge stole organs and other parts from cadavers donated for medical research and education before their scheduled cremation.
The alleged buyers charged along with Lodge include Katrina MacLean, the owner of “Kat’s Creepy Creations” in Peabody, Massachusetts, and Joshua Taylor of West Lawn, Pennsylvania. MacLean and Taylor allegedly got to do in-person remains shopping at the Harvard morgue. Taylor also bought items from Lodge, with records indicating 39 payments via PayPal to Lodge’s wife, Denise, between September 2018 and July 2021.
After purchasing stolen remains from Lodge, Taylor and MacLean interacted with another member of the vile network: Jeremy Pauley, a central figure in the scheme. MacLean and Taylor resold their ill-gotten remains to Pauley. Pauley is the link to the other part of the network, which stems from Candace Chapman Scott, the former morgue worker in Little Rock. Scott was charged with 12 criminal counts in April for allegedly selling 20 boxes of stolen body parts to Pauley, whom she met through Facebook.
“Some crimes defy understanding,” US Attorney Karam said in a statement. “The theft and trafficking of human remains strikes at the very essence of what makes us human. It is particularly egregious that so many of the victims here volunteered to allow their remains to be used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of science and healing. With these charges, we are seeking to secure some measure of justice for all these victims.”
Authorities have arrested four members of a body-part trafficking ring that was accused of stealing organs, faces, and dead babies. The arrests were made on Wednesday by federal investigators in Arizona after an 18-month investigation.
The suspects, who are allegedly connected to an organized criminal organization based in Mexico, are accused of kidnapping people, stealing the victims’ bodies parts, and selling them off for a profit. The body-parts were then reportedly used to create human-like medical robots and dolls that were sold on the international market.
Investigators say the body-part trafficking ring was led by an individual known as “El Profesor,” who allegedly ordered the illicit activities of the other individuals involved.
Among the disturbing evidence uncovered during the course of the investigation were infants that had been stolen from their mothers’ wombs after they were presumed dead, harvested for their organs, and then sold. Additionally, the traffickers were found to have removed the faces of several victims and replaced them with the faces of dolls.
The investigators took great care to protect the victims and their families during the investigation. They also provided assistance and outreach to those affected by the thefts in order to ensure their safety and comfort.
In a statement made after the arrests, the FBI expressed their commitment to bring to justice those involved in the body-part trafficking trade. Going forward, federal authorities say they will continue to tirelessly investigate and pursue anyone responsible for such heinous activities.
