An American court sues a group that stole body parts from Harvard Medical School and even made skin from human skin | world

This Wednesday (14), the US Federal Court charged six people with being part of a group that stole and sold body parts owned by two institutions: Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, and the morgue in Arkansas.

According to the charges, the central figure of the group is Cedric Lodge, 55, who was in charge of the mortuary of the Anatomical Donation Program at Harvard Medical School. According to prosecutors, between 2018 and 2022 he transported and sold parts of human bodies in several states of the country.

His wife, Denise Lodge, is also accused in court.

Medical students need cadavers to study anatomy and medical procedures. For this, they use carcasses given to the kidneys. When the university finishes using the body, it is usually cremated, and the remains are either returned to families or buried in the university’s medical cemetery, according to the indictment.

These are the bodies that Cedric and the woman sold, according to the indictment.

As director of the mortuary at the medical school, Cedric Lodge had access to donated cadavers. According to the indictment, he stole body parts, such as heads, brains, skin, and bones, and brought them to his home in New Hampshire.

Cedric and the woman then negotiated with others to sell the stolen human remains.

On some occasions, Cedric has received agents within the mortuary itself. On October 28, he allegedly entertained a shopkeeper, Katrina McClain, on the premises and sold two dissected faces for $600.

McClain stored and sold the stolen remains in her shop, called Kat’s Creepy Creations. Plus, she would send the remains to buyers in other states (the group even sent body parts by mail).

In a particular case, she would send human skin to another accuser to be tanned and made into a skin.