The woman accused of helping her husband sell human body parts from the Harvard morgue online has pleaded guilty to some of the charges against her.
Denise Lodge changed her plea on the count of aiding and abetting interstate transport of stolen goods, which reportedly included "heads, brains, skin, bones," according to an indictment reviewed by People.
The other charges she faced were dropped in exchange for the plea, WBZ-TV reported.
Lodge's attorney says she pleaded guilty due to health concerns.
"She is very ill and wanted to put this chapter of life behind her and not have the stress of ongoing legal proceedings," Hope Lefeber told People.
Lodge's husband, Cedric Lodge, is the former manager of the morgue at Harvard Medical School. He's also accused of stealing remains and selling them online.
Federal prosecutors allege that a nationwide network of individuals bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary.
They claim that from 2018 through 2022, Cedric Lodge stole organs and other parts of cadavers donated for medical research and education before their scheduled cremations.
Lodge at times transported stolen remains from Boston to his residence in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where he and Denise Lodge, allegedly sold the remains.
Another man who admitted to buying human remains has already pleaded guilty.
"Some crimes defy understanding," said United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam. "The theft and trafficking of human remains strikes at the very essence of what makes us human. It is particularly egregious that so many of the victims here volunteered to allow their remains to be used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of science and healing. For them and their families to be taken advantage of in the name of profit is appalling."
