Cedric Lodge, the former manager of the morgue at Harvard Medical School, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of transporting and selling human remains stolen from cadavers donated to the university’s Anatomical Gifts Program. Lodge faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the plea agreement announced by federal prosecutors.
Between 2018 and early 2020, Lodge removed body parts—including heads, brains, skin, and bones—from cadavers intended for research and education. Prosecutors said he took the remains to his residence in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where he and his wife, Denise Lodge, stored and sold them to buyers across several states. Some transactions involved online sales, with the Lodges allegedly allowing buyers to visit the morgue and select specific parts.
Buyers included Katrina Maclean, who ran a novelty shop called Kat’s Creepy Creations in Peabody, Massachusetts, and Joshua Taylor of Pennsylvania, who is said to have paid over $37,000 for human remains. Maclean allegedly repurposed and resold the remains through her business.
Harvard Medical School terminated Lodge in 2023 after learning of the federal investigation. The university issued a statement condemning the thefts as “an abhorrent betrayal,” emphasizing that the donated bodies were given with the expectation they would be used strictly for scientific and medical advancement.
In the wake of the revelations, Harvard has implemented new security measures and oversight protocols within its anatomical donation program to prevent similar violations of trust. Denise Lodge has already pleaded guilty to related charges.
The case, which has shocked the academic and medical communities, has also led to lawsuits from families of the donors, who said they were devastated by the betrayal of their loved ones’ final wishes.
Federal sentencing for Cedric Lodge is pending.
