Camilla Jessen
Ex-Harvard official sentenced over body parts trafficking scheme.
A former director of the Harvard Medical School morgue has been sentenced to years in prison after admitting to stealing and selling human remains donated to the university for research.
Prison sentences handed down
The U.S. Department of Justice said Cedric Lodge, 58, was sentenced to eight years in prison for trafficking in human organs and remains. His wife, Denise Lodge, 65, received a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence for helping facilitate the sales.
The couple were arrested in May 2023 following a federal investigation.
How the scheme worked
According to prosecutors, Lodge ran the Harvard morgue until May 2023 and was part of a “national network” involved in buying and selling stolen human remains between 2018 and 2022.
The remains came from Harvard and another morgue in Arkansas.
Federal authorities said Lodge removed organs and body parts from cadavers that had been donated to science for medical research and education, taking them before the bodies were cremated.
What was taken
The Justice Department said Lodge stole a wide range of human remains, including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces and dissected heads. The thefts were carried out without the knowledge or consent of Harvard, the donors or their families.
Lodge transported the remains to his home in New Hampshire, where he and his wife arranged sales.
Sales across state lines
After selling the body parts, the Lodges either shipped them to buyers in other states or allowed buyers to collect them in person. Prosecutors said the remains were “resold at a profit,” highlighting the commercial nature of the scheme.
The case has raised serious concerns about oversight and ethical safeguards surrounding donated bodies used in medical education.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice; AFP; Digi24
