Harvard Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Human Remains
This week, a former Harvard University morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, 57, admitted to a serious crime: stealing and selling human remains. Lodge pleaded guilty to a federal charge of interstate transport of human remains.
Lodge worked at Harvard Medical School’s morgue and is accused of taking various body parts—including heads, skin, and bones—over a five-year span. A recent federal indictment revealed that he sold these remains with the knowledge of the medical school.
His wife, Denise Lodge, also pleaded guilty last year for her role in this disturbing case. She allegedly shipped remains to a Pennsylvania man who had made payments with notes like "head number 7."
According to the indictment, Denise received over $37,000 from this individual through PayPal during the three years they were involved in these transactions. The indictment mentioned that she was aware of the nature of what she was sending.
Investigators discovered that the remains taken by Lodge came from individuals who had donated their bodies for medical education and research. The cadavers were meant to be treated with dignity, and Harvard has policies in place to cremate or bury the remains according to the wishes of the donors.
U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam expressed disbelief over the case, stating, “Some crimes defy understanding. The theft and trafficking of human remains strikes at the very essence of what makes us human.”
This incident has left the families of victims feeling betrayed. Nick Pichowicz, whose remains were involved, had his family learn about the theft from news reports, which upset them greatly. They expressed feelings of betrayal and anger, especially after having trusted the institution to honor their loved ones.
Now, Lodge faces a federal investigation, and a judge will determine his sentence following a review by the United States Probation Office.
