Ex-Harvard Med School Morgue Manager Helped Steal Corpses

Harvard is in the news a lot this week — mostly about lawsuits and executive orders and the like. But the prestigious university is also relevant for another reason: its former Medical School Morgue Manager has admitted to helping steal corpses. According to the Associated Press, Cedric Lodge, 57, pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania to the interstate transport of stolen remains. The crime carries up to 10 years in prison.

Lodge was hardly alone in this crime though, which included the theft of hands, feet, heads, and other body parts stolen from corpses. Federal prosecutors say that Lodge was part of a nationwide network of people who were buying and selling stolen body parts. Lodge’s wife, Denise was also involved in the scheme, coordinating the online sales of at least two dozen hands, two feet, nine spines, parts of skulls, five dissected human faces, and two dissected heads.

The body parts were stolen from Harvard and a mortuary in Arkansas. The bodies stolen from Harvard had been donated to the school for research. A previous article from the AP detailed that Cedric would take the body parts home from work and store them in the couple’s home. Sometimes, they would mail the stolen parts to customers. Other times, Cedric would allow people to come to the morgue and allow people to select which parts they wanted.

Cedric was fired from Harvard on May 6.

“We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus — a community dedicated to healing and serving others,” Harvard Medical School deans George Daley and Edward Hundert said in a shared statement. “The reported incidents are a betrayal of HMS and, most importantly, each of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to HMS through the Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research.”