Education
Harvard Medical School Morgue Manager Sold Body Parts, U.S. Says
The manager of a morgue at Harvard Medical School has been charged with selling body parts from donated cadavers and allowing buyers to come to the morgue to choose which parts they wanted, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Prosecutors said that the manager, Cedric Lodge, 55, and his wife, Denise Lodge, 63, both of Goffstown, N.H., and three others had been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pennsylvania on charges of conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods.
A sixth person, Jeremy Pauley, 41, of Bloomsburg, Pa., was charged separately, prosecutors said. A seventh, Candace Chapman Scott, of Little Rock, Ark., was previously indicted in Arkansas, prosecutors said.
The defendants were all part of a nationwide network that bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and a mortuary in Little Rock where Ms. Scott worked, prosecutors said.
In a statement to the Harvard Medical School community on Wednesday, George Q. Daley, dean of the faculty of medicine, and Edward M. Hundert, dean for medical education, called the allegations “an abhorrent betrayal.”
According to federal prosecutors, from 2018 to 2022, Mr. Lodge stole parts from cadavers that had been donated to the medical school and dissected — including heads, brains, skin and bones — before their scheduled cremations.
The Lodges then shipped remains to others, including Katrina Maclean, 44, of Salem, Mass., who owns a store called Kat’s Creepy Creations in Peabody, Mass., and Joshua Taylor, 46, of West Lawn, Pa., prosecutors said.
At times, Mr. Lodge allowed Ms. Maclean, Mr. Taylor and others into the morgue to choose which parts they wanted, prosecutors said. In October 2020, prosecutors said, Ms. Maclean agreed to buy two dissected faces from Mr. Lodge for $600.
Prosecutors said that Ms. Maclean stored and sold remains at Kat’s Creepy Creations, which advertises “creepy dolls, oddities” and “bone art” on Instagram.
In June or July of 2021, she shipped human skin to Mr. Pauley and “engaged his services to tan the skin to create leather,” an indictment states.
From September 2018 to July 2021, Mr. Taylor transferred more than $37,000 in electronic payments to Ms. Lodge for body parts that had been stolen by Mr. Lodge, prosecutors said.
In one transaction, Mr. Taylor sent Ms. Lodge $1,000 with a memo that read “head number 7,” prosecutors said. As part of another payment, he sent Ms. Lodge $200 with a memo that read, “braiiiiiins,” prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said that Mr. Pauley bought remains from Ms. Scott, who stole body parts from the mortuary and crematory in Little Rock where she worked.
Among the remains that Ms. Scott stole were the corpses of two stillborn babies that were supposed to have been cremated and returned to their families, prosecutors said. Ms. Scott was previously indicted in Arkansas on charges including mail fraud, wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property, prosecutors said.
Mr. Pauley sold many of the remains he bought to others, including Mathew Lampi, 52, of East Bethel, Minn., prosecutors said.
“Some crimes defy understanding,” Gerard M. Karam, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. “The theft and trafficking of human remains strikes at the very essence of what makes us human.”
Christopher R. Opiel, a lawyer for Mr. Taylor, declined to comment on the charges. Mr. Lampi also declined to comment. George B. Morledge IV, a lawyer for Ms. Scott, said that his client had pleaded not guilty and was in jail, awaiting a mental health evaluation.
“Before we start jumping to conclusions about what was going on with Ms. Scott,” Mr. Morledge said, “we need to let this play out in the court system.”
It was not immediately clear if the Lodges, Ms. Maclean and Mr. Pauley had lawyers.
The Lodges both made initial court appearances on Wednesday in Concord, N.H., and were released on their own personal recognizance, The Associated Press reported. They declined to comment as they left the courthouse, The A.P. reported.
In their statement to the Harvard Medical School community, the two deans said that investigators believed that Mr. Lodge acted without the knowledge or cooperation of anyone else at the university. Mr. Lodge was fired on May 6, the deans said, and the medical school has been working to identify which donated cadavers may have been affected.
“We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus — a community dedicated to healing and serving others,” they wrote. “The reported incidents are a betrayal of H.M.S. and, most importantly, each of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to H.M.S. through the Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research.”
Education
Four Fraternity Members Charged After a Pledge Is Set on Fire
Four fraternity members at San Diego State University are facing felony charges after a pledge was set on fire during a skit at a party last year, leaving him hospitalized for weeks with third-degree burns, prosecutors said Monday.
The fire happened on Feb. 17, 2024, when the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity held a large party at its house, despite being on probation, court documents show. While under probation, the fraternity was required to “demonstrate exemplary compliance with university policies,” according to the college’s guidelines.
Instead, prosecutors said, the fraternity members planned a skit during which a pledge would be set on fire.
After drinking alcohol in the presence of the fraternity president, Caden Cooper, 22, the three younger men — Christopher Serrano, 20, and Lars Larsen, 19, both pledges, and Lucas Cowling, 20 — then performed the skit, prosecutors said.
Mr. Larsen was set on fire and wounded, prosecutors said, forcing him to spend weeks in the hospital for treatment of third-degree burns covering 16 percent of his body, mostly on his legs.
The charges against Mr. Cooper, Mr. Cowling and Mr. Serrano include recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury; conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the public; and violating the social host ordinance. If convicted of all the charges, they would face a sentence of probation up to seven years, two months in prison.
Mr. Larsen himself was charged. The San Diego County District Attorney’s office said that he, as well as Mr. Cooper and Mr. Cowling, also tried to lie to investigators in the case, deleted evidence on social media, and told other fraternity members to destroy evidence and not speak to anyone about what happened at the party.
All four men have pleaded not guilty.
Lawyers representing Mr. Cooper and Mr. Cowling did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment on Tuesday. Contact information for lawyers for Mr. Serrano and Mr. Larsen was not immediately available.
The four students were released on Monday, but the court ordered them not to participate in any fraternity parties, not to participate in any recruitment events for the fraternity, and to obey all laws, including those related to alcohol consumption.
The university said Tuesday that it would begin its own administrative investigation into the conduct of the students and the fraternity, now that the police investigation was complete.
After it confirmed the details, the dean of students office immediately put the Phi Kappa Psi chapter on interim suspension, which remains in effect, college officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Additional action was taken, but the office said it could not reveal specifics because of student privacy laws.
“The university prioritizes the health and safety of our campus community,” college officials said in a statement, “and has high expectations for how all members of the university community, including students, behave in the interest of individual and community safety and well-being.”
At least half a dozen fraternities at San Diego State University have been put on probation in the last two years, officials said.
Education
Video: Several Killed in Wisconsin School Shooting, Including Juvenile Suspect
new video loaded: Several Killed in Wisconsin School Shooting, Including Juvenile Suspect
transcript
transcript
Several Killed in Wisconsin School Shooting, Including Juvenile Suspect
The police responded to a shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wis., on Monday.
-
Around 10:57 a.m., our officers were responding to a call of an active shooter at the Abundant Life Christian School here in Madison. When officers arrived, they found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers located a juvenile who they believe was responsible for this deceased in the building. I’m feeling a little dismayed now, so close to Christmas. Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. These types of trauma don’t just go away.
Recent episodes in Guns & Gun Violence
Education
Video: Biden Apologizes for U.S. Mistreatment of Native American Children
new video loaded: Biden Apologizes for U.S. Mistreatment of Native American Children
transcript
transcript
Biden Apologizes for U.S. Mistreatment of Native American Children
President Biden offered a formal apology on Friday on behalf of the U.S. government for the abuse of Native American children from the early 1800s to the late 1960s.
-
The Federal government has never, never formally apologized for what happened until today. I formally apologize. It’s long, long, long overdue. Quite frankly, there’s no excuse that this apology took 50 years to make. I know no apology can or will make up for what was lost during the darkness of the federal boarding school policy. But today, we’re finally moving forward into the light.
Recent episodes in Politics
-
Business1 week ago
These are the top 7 issues facing the struggling restaurant industry in 2025
-
Culture1 week ago
The 25 worst losses in college football history, including Baylor’s 2024 entry at Colorado
-
Sports1 week ago
The top out-of-contract players available as free transfers: Kimmich, De Bruyne, Van Dijk…
-
Politics7 days ago
New Orleans attacker had 'remote detonator' for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
-
Politics6 days ago
Carter's judicial picks reshaped the federal bench across the country
-
Politics5 days ago
Who Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
-
Health4 days ago
Ozempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
-
World1 week ago
Ivory Coast says French troops to leave country after decades