Harvard University finds itself embroiled in yet another scandal.
The former director of the morgue at Harvard Medical School has admitted guilt in a shocking case of trafficking stolen human body parts, typically reserved for academic research. He now faces a potential ten-year prison sentence.
The details emerging from this case read like a script from a chilling horror film.
The New York Post reports:
Harvard Medical School morgue manager pleads guilty to stealing organs, selling them on the black market
Cedric Lodge, 57, hailing from Goffstown, New Hampshire, entered his guilty plea for the interstate transport of stolen human remains before Chief U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann, as detailed in a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The maximum penalty under federal law stands at ten years’ imprisonment, a supervised release following incarceration, and the possibility of a monetary fine.
According to the announcement, the judge will impose a sentence after considering relevant federal sentencing statutes and guidelines.
Authorities disclosed that Lodge confessed to his involvement in the sale and interstate transport of human remains pilfered from Harvard Medical School’s morgue between 2018 and at least March 2020.
As the morgue’s manager, Lodge removed various human body parts—including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads, and other remains—from donated cadavers post-research and teaching use, but before these could be disposed of according to the anatomical gift donation agreements established with the donors.
A video report from CBS News in Boston offers additional coverage:
One Twitter user has certainly outdone others with the most entertaining comment.
Are we sure he didn’t eat them? https://t.co/NLDFLMU0Bz
— Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) May 25, 2025
In all seriousness, this is a deeply disturbing narrative that raises significant questions about the internal processes at Harvard University.
