Stolen Human Body Parts Sold By Eastern PA Man: Police

BERKS COUNTY, PA — An eastern Pennsylvania man is among six people charged for buying and selling human body parts that were stolen from a Harvard Medical School morgue, authorities announced.

Joshua Taylor, 46, of West Lawn, faces numerous charges in connectionw ith the incident. Jeremy Pauley, 41, of Bloomsburg, had previously been charged in the case.

"Some crimes defy understanding," United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam said in a statement. "The theft and trafficking of human remains strikes at the very essence of what makes us human."

The incidents occurred from 2018 to 2022. Cedric Lodge, 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, the manager of the Anatomical Gifts Program at Harvard, worked with Taylor and others to steal the organs, authorities said. At times, Taylor entered the morgue so that he could choose what he wanted to purchase, police said. Sometimes Taylor drove the parts back to Berks County, other times the parts to were shipped to him and others out of state, police said.

Taylor then resold the remains for profit, accoridng to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Pauley was one of his buyers, and he also resold many of the parts, exchanging over $100,000 in goods in one buyer, police said.

The stolen body parts had been donated for research an educational purposed to the school.

See also: Body Part Purchasing Leads To Charges For Pennsylvania Man: Police

"It is particularly egregious that so many of the victims here volunteered to allow their remains to be used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of science and healing," Karam added. "For them and their families to be taken advantage of in the name of profit is appalling. With these charges, we are seeking to secure some measure of justice for all these victims."

Taylor and the others face up to 15 years behind bars, in addition to probation and a fine.

In addition to Taylor, Cedric Lodge, and Pauley, Katrina Maclean, age 44, of Salem, Massachusetts, Denise Lodge, age 63, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, and Mathew Lampi, age 52, of East Bethel, Minnesota, were also arrested and charged.

The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information, contact the U.S. Attorney's Victim and Witness Unit at USAPAM.Victim.Information@usdoj.gov or (717) 614-4249.