Harvard Agrees To $53 Million Settlement After Former Morgue Manager Stole & Sold Body Parts From Donated Bodies

Harvard Agrees To $53 Million Settlement After Former Morgue Manager Stole & Sold Body Parts From Donated Bodies

Harvard University has agreed to pay $53 million to settle lawsuits over a disturbing scheme involving body parts allegedly stolen from people who donated their remains to Harvard Medical School.

Former morgue manager Cedric Lodge admitted to stealing human remains from the school’s Anatomical Gift Program between 2018 and 2020. Prosecutors said the stolen parts included heads, brains, skin, hands and dissected faces. Lodge allegedly took some of the remains to his New Hampshire home, where he and his wife, Denise Lodge, sold them to buyers in other states.

Even more disturbing, prosecutors said Lodge sometimes allowed potential buyers to enter the Harvard morgue and choose which body parts they wanted to purchase. Some buyers allegedly resold the remains for profit. Lodge pleaded guilty to transporting stolen human remains across state lines and was later sentenced to eight years in federal prison.

Families of donors sued Harvard, accusing the university of failing to properly protect their loved ones’ remains. The proposed $53 million settlement would resolve claims stemming from the scandal, which Harvard previously called a “despicable betrayal.”

There are 8 comments for this article
  1. Grace Pennington at 9:48 am

    It’s chilling that someone entrusted with the dignity of donated bodies would sell dissected faces and hands for profit. The $53 million settlement can’t undo the betrayal of those who gave their remains for science, but it at least holds Harvard accountable for the oversight failure.

  2. Simon Pennington at 12:09 pm

    The fact that this went on for two years and involved such intimate remains — heads, brains, dissected faces — makes the betrayal of the donors’ trust especially horrifying. A $53 million settlement can’t undo that, but at least it holds Harvard accountable for the oversight failure.

  3. Grace Fischer at 7:06 pm

    It’s chilling that someone entrusted with the dignity of donated bodies would sell heads, brains, and hands for profit. The $53 million settlement can’t undo the betrayal of those who gave their remains for science, but at least it holds Harvard accountable for oversight failures.

  4. Simon Ingram at 7:02 pm

    The real tragedy here is the betrayal of donors who selflessly gave their bodies to advance medical education—only to have their remains trafficked like commodities. A $53 million settlement can’t restore that trust, especially when the scheme involved such intimate parts as heads, brains, and dissected faces. Let’s hope this forces stricter oversight of every anatomical gift program nationwide.

  5. Mei Delgado at 12:29 pm

    The alleged theft of heads, brains, skin, hands, and dissected faces from Harvard’s Anatomical Gift Program is deeply disturbing, especially given that these remains were donated for medical education. A $53 million settlement may provide accountability, but it cannot undo the profound breach of trust suffered by donors and their families.

  6. MagnetPure at 11:39 am

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  7. Daniel Espinoza at 1:53 pm

    The alleged theft of heads, brains, skin, hands, and dissected faces from Harvard’s Anatomical Gift Program is deeply disturbing, especially given the trust donors and their families placed in the institution. A $53 million settlement may provide accountability, but it cannot undo the violation of those donors’ final wishes.

  8. Amara Gallagher at 5:58 pm

    The alleged theft of heads, brains, skin, hands, and dissected faces from Harvard’s Anatomical Gift Program is deeply disturbing, especially given the trust donors placed in the institution. A $53 million settlement may provide some accountability, but it cannot undo the violation of those donors and their families.

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