Authorities sentenced Cedric Lodge, the former manager of Harvard Medical School’s morgue, to eight years in prison. He stole and sold body parts from donated cadavers. This case shocked the medical community.
Lodge was a long serving employee of the morgue. He removed organs, brains, skin, hands, and faces without consent from the next of kin who had donated the bodies to the school for the purpose of education. However Lodge did not honor these donations when he removed parts of the human body from 2018 to 2020.
Guilty Pleas and Court Proceedings
Lodge pleaded guilty in May to trafficking stolen remains. His wife, Denise Lodge, also admitted guilt. She helped sell the parts. Meanwhile on December 16, 2025, a judge sentenced Cedric to 96 months in prison. Denise received 12 months and one day.
Prosecutors highlighted the harm to grieving families. Moreover the court heard how Lodge shipped parts via mail. This added to the charges of interstate transport. The couple lived in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
The Wider Networks
A larger group was discovered by the investigators. Other guilty parties plea-bargained for similar offenses. They sold the stolen bones. For instance, some of the offenders were sentenced before. Other hearings will come. The FBI and the postal inspectors conducted the investigation.
Lasting Impact and Lessons
Families were livid with anger. They were outraged by this exploitation. Harvard looked at procedures in place to correct this situation. However this situation calls into question regulations in biomedical donations. In conclusion, more stringent regulations are needed. It is essential to sum up this situation by stating that this scandal is a reminder of ethics in science.
