Ex Harvard Morgue Manager Sentenced for Selling Body Parts
A former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School has been sentenced to eight years in a United States federal prison after admitting to selling stolen human remains taken from donated bodies. Cedric Lodge, aged 58, pleaded guilty to transporting stolen body parts across state lines in a scheme that ran from 2018 until early 2020. Court records show that Lodge removed dissected heads, brains, skin, hands and other body parts from cadavers entrusted to Harvard for medical research. The remains were taken from the Boston morgue to his home in New Hampshire and later sold to buyers in several states. Prosecutors told the court that the actions betrayed the trust of donor families who believed their loved ones would be treated with dignity and used solely for scientific purposes. The scale of the operation suggested that hundreds of families may have been affected. Lodge’s wife, Denise Lodge, was also convicted for her role in handling shipments and payments linked to the illegal sales. She was sentenced to one year in prison. Harvard Medical School has said the conduct violated its standards and values, distancing the institution from the crimes while cooperating with investigators.
| 2025-12-17 13:29:57