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Former Harvard morgue manager pleads guilty to theft of human remains

Harvard Medical School's administrative building
Thomas Steiner, Wikimedia Commons
/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harvard-medicalschool.jpg
Harvard Medical School's administrative building

The former manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue has pleaded guilty to stealing and selling human remains.

Cedric Lodge, 57, was arrested in 2023 for allegedly taking organs, skin as well as other body parts from donated cadavers. He and his wife, Denise Lodge, then transported the materials back to their home in Goffstown before selling them to individuals in multiple states.

Denise Lodge previously pleaded guilty. Cedric Lodge is facing up to 10 years in prison, and will be sentenced at a later date.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Scranton, Penn., where Lodge’s case is being prosecuted, multiple other defendants have also pleaded guilty to purchasing human remains.

Candace Chapman-Scott, a former employee at an Arkansas crematorium who also sold body parts to the same network of customers, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Lodge worked in the Harvard morgue for decades before his arrest, according to reporting by WBUR. Multiple families of loved ones whose bodies were desecrated by Lodge filed civil lawsuits against Harvard, but those cases were dismissed.

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As a general assignment reporter, I pursue breaking news as well as investigative pieces across a range of topics. I’m drawn to stories that are big and timely, as well as those that may appear small but tell us something larger about the state we live in. I also love a good tip, a good character, or a story that involves a boat ride.

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