Cedric Lodge, director until May of the morgue at Harvard Medical School, is accused of being a member of a “national ring (…) that bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard and an Arkansas morgue” from 2018 to 2022.
The director of the medical school morgue of the prestigious American University of Harvard, his wife and four other persons are accused by the US judiciary of trafficking in human organs and remainsannounced yesterday.
“Some crimes are impossible to understand” said Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney Gerard Karam, according to the press release announcing the arrest and indictment of Cedric Lodge, 55, and his wife Denise Lodge, 63.
The couple and four other persons are being prosecuted, among other things, for “complicity in theft and illegal transportation of stolen goods“, says the press release, which confirms information from the Boston Globe, the New England newspaper in the northeastern US.
The Lodges and another person, Katrina McLean, 44, of Massachusetts, were arrested on Wednesday, according to US authorities.
Cedric Lodge, director until May of the Harvard Medical School morgue, is accused of being a member from 2018 to 2022.of a national ring (…) that bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard and an Arkansas morgue“, according to the federal court.
The director of the university’s morgue, which is one of the oldest in the US and is located near Boston, “was stealing organs and other parts of corpses that had been donated to science, for medical research and education, before they were cremated.”
“The theft and trafficking of human remains strikes at the very essence of what makes us human beings“, ruled the federal prosecutor Karam, denouncing the “disgusting” and “horrific” actions of the group and promising that justice will be done for the “victims” and their relatives.
In an email they made public, under the title “A hideous betrayal,” the deans of Harvard Medical School, George Daly and Edward Hundert, report that they were “horrified” to learn that “something causing such a commotion could be done at the university” which “is dedicated to the care and service” of people.
Mr. Lodge was fired in early May by the foundation and authorities “believe he acted without the assistance of anyone” at the university, they said, while stressing that the other persons prosecuted in the context of the investigation into the case had “no connection to Harvard.”
Source :Skai
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
