The wife of a former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School admitted Friday to her role in an alleged body part trafficking ring, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
Denise Lodge, 64, pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen goods in Pennsylvania’s US District Court, according to The AP. This plea comes after police discovered that she allegedly helped ship stolen human body parts to buyers across the country.
Federal prosecutors detailed how Denise, along with her husband Cedric Lodge and other accomplices, allegedly participated in a nationwide scheme that sold parts from donated bodies stolen from Harvard without the knowledge of the donors’ families. The alleged illegal sales included two dozen hands, two feet and parts of skulls among other human remains, fetching prices up to $11,000, the New York Post reported.
The wife of a former Harvard Medical School morgue manager has pleaded guilty to a federal charge after investigators said she shipped stolen human body parts — including hands, feet and heads — to buyers. https://t.co/1gsDMYuZ6w
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 14, 2024
The case reportedly involved several other alleged transactions. A mortuary employee was found allegedly selling body parts on social media, while a Massachusetts store owner allegedly purchased a human skull to craft a macabre doll, according to the New York Post.
“Plaintiff brings this class action on behalf of himself and all other similarly situated individuals whose family members donated and entrusted their deceased bodies into Harvard’s custody for medical research and academic study and whose cadavers were then mishandled, dissected, and/or sold by the HMS morgue manager,” the suit stated, according to AP. (RELATED: ‘Denial Of Merit’: Prestigious Medical School Withdraws From Famous College Ranking System)
Cedric, who allegedly orchestrated the operation from the morgue at Harvard, was terminated on May 6, according to the New York Post.