The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested six suspects for allegedly trafficking human body parts, including remains of cadavers at Harvard Medical School.
Denise Lodge was taken into custody along with Katrina Maclean, a resident of Salem, Massachusetts.
The charges against three more suspects – Pennsylvania residents Joshua Taylor and Jeremy Pauley, as well as Minnesota resident Matthew Lampi – allege involvement in human trafficking.
Authorities say that between 2018 and 2022, he brought the remains from Boston to his New Hampshire home. They claim that Denise Lodge and he would sell them.
Fox News has obtained an indictment that states the suspects discussed online their activities.
“At times [Lodge] stole dissected portions of donated cadavers, including, for example, heads, brains, skin, bones, and other human remains,” the indictment reads.
Maclean and Taylor accuse Lodge of allowing the journalists to select parts at the morgue. The remains were then removed and shipped to the United States via the U.S. Postal Service.
Maclean ran a company named Kat’s Creepy Creations that sold the remains to buyers across the country.
According to her Facebook page, “I love all things creepy, I am a macabre enthusiast and a horror artist. ”
In a more graphic instance, Maclean reportedly sent skin from Jeremy Pauley to make leather.
The indictment states that Pauley allegedly sent over $40,000 to Taylor via Paypal. A total of $37,355.56 was sent by Taylor to an account operated by Denise Lodge, with memos including statements like “head number 7” and “braiiiiiins.”
In a press statement titled “An Abhorrent Travesty,” Harvard Medical School (HMS) addressed the incident.
“We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus – a community dedicated to healing and serving others,” the statement read. “The reported incidents are a betrayal of HMS and, most importantly, each of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to HMS through the Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research.”
The school stated, “We deeply regret any pain this news may have caused to the loved ones and families of our anatomical donors. HMS promises to support them during this time of great distress.”
