⏱ 2 min read
Joshua Taylor, a 49-year-old from West Lawn, Pennsylvania, was involved in a morbid scheme to buy and sell stolen human remains. Taylor purchased remains from multiple individuals, knowing they were stolen, as part of a nationwide network. The remains included organs and body parts stolen from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. The scheme unfolded from 2018 to 2022, with Taylor and other co-conspirators using cell phones and social media to arrange transactions.
Taylor’s role in the scheme involved purchasing stolen remains from Cedric Lodge, who managed the morgue at Harvard Medical School. Lodge would steal organs and body parts from donated cadavers before their scheduled cremations, then sell them to Taylor and others. Taylor would also transport stolen remains from Boston to Pennsylvania, and at times, the remains were shipped to him out of state.
Taylor sold the stolen remains for profit, along with co-conspirator Katrina Maclean. They sold to buyers like Jeremy Pauley in Pennsylvania, who also purchased stolen remains from Candace Chapman Scott in Arkansas. Scott stole parts of cadavers from her employer, a mortuary and crematorium in Little Rock.
On July 27, 2026, Taylor was sentenced to 24 months in prison by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann for conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property. The sentence marks a conclusion to Taylor’s involvement in the disturbing scheme to traffic stolen human remains.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Human Trafficking
- Defendant: Pennsylvania
- Location: PA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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