Neighbors of Goffstown couple allegedly at center of scheme to sell body parts surprised by indictment
Neighbors of a Goffstown couple accused of being at the center of a multi-state scheme to steal and sell human body parts say they had no idea what investigators say was going on in the quiet neighborhood.
By Arielle Mitropoulos
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GOFFSTOWN, New Hampshire (WMUR) — Neighbors of a Goffstown couple accused of being at the center of a multi-state scheme to steal and sell human body parts say they had no idea what investigators say was going on in the quiet neighborhood.
In a federal indictment, Cedric Lodge is accused of stealing dissected parts of donated cadavers – including heads, brains, skin and bones – from Harvard Medical School, where he was the morgue manager.
Investigators said he allowed people to go inside the morgue to personally pick out which remains they wanted to buy, all done without the permission or the knowledge of families and the school.
Investigators also said he brought the remains to his home on Orchard Street, where he and his wife, Denise Lodge, allegedly shipped them through the mail to buyers.
“Your neighbors, they have their own private lives, but this is totally beyond the normal,” neighbor Angel Maldonado said.
Neighbors said they noticed the couple’s gargoyles on their lawn, the skulls on their curtains and a large coffin in the garage. News 9 also found a WiFi network in the neighborhood called “the morgue.”
But neighbors said the couple was always relatively friendly, and they never saw anything unusual happen at the house.
“When I was building my shed, they’d walk their dogs up,” neighbor Mark Staffiere said. “I’d say hi to them. They seemed like nice people. It makes it even scarier. You know, two doors down, you don’t know what’s going on.”
The Lodges were ordered to not move out of Goffstown until they are called to appear in federal court in Pennsylvania.
Anyone who thinks one of their loved ones might have been affected in this case can call investigators at 717-614-4249.
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