A former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing and selling human body parts from cadavers donated for scientific research.
Federal prosecutors said Cedric Lodge, 58, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, operated a multi-year scheme in which he removed body parts—including brains, skin, hands, and faces—from deceased individuals whose remains had been donated to Harvard for educational purposes. The illegal activity took place between 2018 and March 2020.
Lodge reportedly shipped the stolen body parts to buyers in Pennsylvania and other states. In one case, human skin was provided to a buyer to be tanned and used to bind a book. In another instance, Lodge and his wife, Denise Lodge, sold a human face.
Denise Lodge was sentenced to just over a year in prison for her role in assisting her husband. Both were sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan Martin described the acts as deeply disturbing, saying the Lodges treated body parts “as if they were baubles to be sold for profit.” Prosecutors said the couple earned thousands of dollars from the sales.
According to court filings, Lodge removed the body parts before the remains were scheduled for cremation or return to families. Typically, after research is complete, donated bodies are either cremated or returned in accordance with the donor’s or family’s wishes.
Lodge, who managed the Harvard morgue for 28 years, expressed remorse in court. His defense attorney, Patrick Casey, called the conduct “egregious” and acknowledged the lasting harm caused to both the deceased and their families.
The scandal led Harvard to temporarily suspend its body donation program for five months in 2023 after the charges became public.
Authorities say at least six other individuals, including a crematory employee in Arkansas, have pleaded guilty in connection to the broader body parts trafficking investigation.