(José Niño, Headline USA) The sacred tradition of donating one’s body to science was shattered at Harvard University, where a trusted employee turned the morgue into a grisly meat market.

According to a report by the New York Times, Cedric Lodge, formerly the morgue manager at Harvard Medical School, stole organs from cadavers that had been donated for medical research, according to prosecutors. The university terminated his employment in 2023.

Lodge was responsible for managing cadavers in the school’s Anatomical Gift Program, with the expectation that these bodies would be cremated after research concluded, prosecutors said.

However, a sweeping federal investigation found that Lodge had transformed the morgue into a “shopping emporium for brains, skin and other body parts,” supplying collectors in multiple states through a criminal network that included his wife. Investigators reported that he transported stolen remains to his home in New Hampshire.

This breach went unnoticed from roughly 2018 until March 2023, tarnishing the reputation of one of America’s most prestigious medical schools.

Nearly two weeks ago, federal court filings in Pennsylvania showed that Lodge agreed to plead guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

As part of the plea deal, he will not face a conspiracy charge. Prosecutors recommended a sentence below the maximum, but the final decision rests with the judge.

In a statement, Dr. George Q. Daley, dean of Harvard Medical School, denounced Lodge’s actions.

“Cedric Lodge’s criminal actions were morally reprehensible and a disgraceful betrayal of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research,” Dr. Daley declared. “While Lodge has agreed to plead guilty and taken responsibility for his crimes, this likely provides little consolation to the families impacted. We continue to express our deep compassion to all those affected.”

Of the seven people charged in connection with the trafficking of stolen body parts, all but one have pleaded guilty or agreed to do so, including Lodge’s wife, Denise, who is also awaiting sentencing. 

One case remains pending, while another defendant — a former employee of a mortuary services provider in Arkansas — is seeking to withdraw her guilty plea after receiving a 15-year sentence.

Prosecutors said Lodge stole dissected portions from donated cadavers, including heads, brains, skin, and bones, and shipped them to buyers. One buyer, Katrina Maclean, owns a store called Kat’s Creepy Creations in Peabody, Massachusetts, which advertises “Creations that shock the mind & shake the soul.” 

In a recent motion, Maclean’s lawyer argued that human remains “are not, and have never been, deemed to constitute property or ‘goods, wares or merchandise.’”

On several occasions, Lodge allowed Maclean and other buyers into the morgue to select which body parts they wanted. Authorities said Maclean chose two dissected faces, agreeing to pay Lodge $600 for them in October 2020. 

Over nearly three years, Lodge’s wife received $37,000 in electronic payments from another buyer, Joshua Taylor of West Lawn, Pennsylvania, for body parts stolen by Lodge. In one instance, Taylor sent $1,000 to Denise Lodge with the memo “head number 7,” and in another, $200 with the note “braiiiiiins.” 

Taylor has agreed to plead guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. 

The nation now looks to Harvard and the courts to restore faith in a system shaken by this unprecedented violation of trust.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino