The PayPal memo said ‘braiiins’: Harvard Medical School morgue manager, accused of smuggling human remains, enters plea

In a horror story straight out of a Hollywood nightmare, Harvard Medical School’s morgue is at the center of a real-life body-snatching scandal.

Cedric Lodge, the school’s former morgue manager, has officially pleaded guilty to transporting stolen human remains across state lines, admitting to a ghoulish side hustle that’s shocked the nation, and forever stained the prestige of one of the world’s most respected institutions.

According to the AP, from 2018 to early 2023, Lodge used his keycard access to raid the school’s morgue, spiriting away brains, skin, heads, and bones from cadavers donated for medical science. Instead of research, these body parts were sold to collectors of macabre oddities like twisted trophies.

“Braiiiiiins” for sale, PayPal accepted

According to the prosecution, human remains were shipped from their New Hampshire home to buyers nationwide. Jonathan Taylor was among these morbid customers, a Pennsylvania resident, accused of purchasing over $37,000 worth of stolen human parts. He even allegedly visited the morgue in person to cherry-pick cadavers. This wasn’t a black market—it was a boutique of horror.

The shocking details of the transactions are almost too bizarre to believe. Lodge and his wife, Denise, allegedly sold body parts using PayPal. Chilling transaction memos included “braiiiiiins” and “head number 7.”

Meet the network of the dead

The web of gory commerce didn’t end with the Lodges. Taylor and other buyers allegedly resold the human remains or kept them as grotesque collectibles. Reports say the remains were displayed in homes, sometimes preserved in jars like twisted trophies from a film set.

This is not a fringe conspiracy—it’s a real criminal case, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Lodges have both pleaded guilty, and while sentencing is pending, Lodge faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Harvard’s nightmare: reputation in ruins

Harvard Medical School issued a statement condemning the acts as “morally reprehensible,” distancing itself from the ghastly crimes committed under its roof. But for dozens of grieving families who donated the remains of loved ones in good faith, the apology rings hollow.

A class-action lawsuit representing 47 plaintiffs was thrown out last year, but the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is reviewing whether it should proceed. For these families, the horror is personal—and ongoing.

The legal noose is tightening. Prosecutors have hinted at further indictments as the investigation unearths more players in this Frankenstein-level farce. Meanwhile, Harvard has vowed stricter controls over its anatomical donation program, though critics ask how such a monstrous scheme went unnoticed for years inside the hallowed Ivy League institution.