Former Harvard Morgue Manager Pleads Guilty to Selling Stolen Human Remains Across Northeast

Cedric Lodge, the former manager of Harvard Medical School's morgue, pleaded guilty to interstate transport of stolen human remains after admitting to removing and selling body parts from donated cadavers without authorization between 2018 and 2020. He, along with his wife Denise and others, sold organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, and dissected heads to a network of buyers across multiple states, profiting tens of thousands of dollars. Harvard Medical School condemned Lodge's actions as an "abhorrent betrayal" of donors and their families and has since enhanced security and oversight of its Anatomical Gifts Program. Families of donors filed lawsuits against Harvard and morgue operators, but a Massachusetts judge dismissed the complaints, citing qualified immunity protections. Lodge faces up to 10 years in prison, a substantial fine, and supervised release, with sentencing pending. Several co-defendants have pleaded guilty or face charges related to the scheme.