Media Today

[Rick Plant]

Human body parts stolen from Harvard morgue. What we know about the ‘disturbing' scheme

Federal prosecutors say the scheme began in 2018 and lasted into this year

An alleged scheme involving the exchange of human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School's morgue for money was made public on Wednesday, as unsealed federal charging documents depicted an apparently lucrative black market for body parts.

Several people are being charged in this investigation, including the former manager of the morgue, Cedric Lodge, who has been accused of having people choose body parts they want to buy at the morgue, then stealing parts of donated cadavers like brains, skin and bones, before allegedly taking them to his New Hampshire home and sending them from there.

Among the list of defendants are his wife, Denise Lodge, and a woman named Katrina Maclean, who runs a store called Kat's Creepy Creations in Peabody, Massachusetts.

Morbid charges outlined by feds

Seven people in total have been indicted in what investigators have said is a nationwide network of people involved in the stealing, selling and purchasing of human remans, some of which came from Harvard Medical School.

Out of the seven accused, three are from New England, including the Lodges. Prosecutors allege that Cedric Lodge stole human organs and bones from cadavers donated for medical research, that were supposed to be cremated.

The couple's home had been raided back in March, but they weren't arrested until Wednesday — leaving their neighbors in shock.

"It's creepy that number one it's two doors down, number two what kind of sick people do we have in this world who would even buy these," a neighbor named Roxanne Ryder said.

Among the alleged buyers is Katrina Maclean, who was reportedly allowed by Cedric to enter the morgue to choose the parts she and a Pennsylvania man wanted to purchase — including skin, brains and bones. Court documents said that in 2020, Maclean bought two dissected faces for $600 and shipped human skin to Pennsylvania, while running the Kat's Creepy Creations store in Peabody that sells creepy dolls, bone art and other oddities.

She did not speak to news outlets while leaving federal court on Wednesday, but her lawyer did speak on her behalf.

"She's never been in trouble before and obviously this was very distressful," her attorney Gordon Spencer said. "She just wants to be home with her family."

Reaction from family impacted

A pair of sisters were in disbelief after learning that their father's remains were among those said to be stolen.

"It's like a dream, you know what I mean? It's like not real, but it is real," Paula Peltonovich said.

Peltonovich, and her sister, Darlene Lynch, said that their parents were both police officers and wanted to donate their bodies to science. They want their mother's body back, now.

"My concern is getting my mom back," said Peltonovich. "I don't want them to touch my mom. I mean, can you blame me? I mean, seriously, it's just the whole thing's wrong."

Harvard Medical School said Wednesday it was "deeply sorry for the pain and uncertainty caused by this troubling news." It set up a page of resources for family members of people who have donated their bodies to the Anatomical Gift Program.

Among those resources is a toll-free information and support center that can be reached 24 hours a day at 1-888-268-1129, the school said.

'An abhorrent betrayal'

In addition to the family of one man's remains who were said to be impacted, law enforcement officials and leaders at Harvard Medical School have issued statements in the wake of the news.

"Some crimes defy understanding," said U.S. Attorney Gerard Karam in a statement. "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."

Karam characterized Harvard Medical School as another victim of the scheme and appreciated their cooperation with the federal investigation.

Deans of the Harvard Medical School wrote a letter to the community on Wednesday addressing the situation, saying that Cedric Lodge was fired on May 6. The letter was titled "An abhorrent betrayal."

"We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus — a community dedicated to healing and serving others. The reported incidents are a betrayal of HMS and, most importantly, each of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to HMS through the Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research," said the statement from George Daley, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University and Edward Hundert, the dean for Medical Education at Harvard Medical School.

They offered an apology to the families and loved ones and donors, offering them resources including a 24/7 counseling hotline — anyone who thinks they may have been affected by the scheme can also reach out to federal investigators at usapam-victim.information@usdoj.gov or 717-614-4249.

Watch Video in link: https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/reaction-to-disturbing-scheme-involving-sale-of-stolen-body-parts-from-harvard-morgue/3068742/

[Rick Plant]

Protesters gather in parking lot outside Dodger Stadium

Ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers game and controversial Pride Night celebration, protesters have gathered outside of the stadium.

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[Rick Plant]

U.S. government agencies hit in global cyberattack

The U.S. is working to understand the full scale of a cyber security attack that hit a number of government agencies. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency says it is providing support to several federal agencies experiencing what it described as "intrusions." CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge has more on the attack that's affecting universities and state governments as well.

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[Rick Plant]

Lightning strikes roller coaster at Ohio’s Cedar Point amusement park

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Lightning struck a roller coaster at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio on Thursday, and the electrifying moment was caught on camera.

A live webcam captured a video of a bolt striking part of the Millenium Force roller coaster.

The incident happened after park-goers were led out due to weather concerns.

Severe weather prompted storm warnings and power outages across the northern part of the state on Thursday.

https://www.wdtn.com/news/ohio/lightning-strikes-roller-coaster-at-ohios-cedar-point-amusement-park/


Lightning hits Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point

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[Rick Plant]

Uncovering Jupiter's Secrets | Planet Explorers | BBC Earth

Jupiter is both Beauty and Beast! This gas giant of our solar system is terrifying and stunning – with hexagonal cyclones, spectacular auroras from volcanoes, giant lightning and huge storms. Dr HenrikMelin reveals the best images of Jupiter and the secrets that lie beneath its clouds.

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[Rick Plant]

Mormon crickets are so bad in Nevada that crews are plowing them off the roads
https://www.9news.com/article/news/national/mormon-crickets-elko-nevada-migration-2023/73-216440bb-e0e5-4820-936d-c7d730c81fb9


Bug swarm: Nevada crawling with thick carpet of Mormon crickets

Millions of crickets – or rather shield-backed katydids – migrating across state, after hatching was delayed in spring



Millions of flightless insects known as Mormon crickets have descended across Nevada, alarming residents, blanketing roadways and buildings, and fueling nightmares.

Footage shared on social media and by local news outlets captures six Nevada counties under siege, with thick carpets of bugs moving slowly and efficiently across the state. A local hospital had to deploy brooms and leafblowers to clear the way for patients to get into the building, a spokesperson for the Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, told local news outlet KSL.

Not only do the bugs make for terrifying plague-like images and videos, they make roadways dangerous when large numbers of them get crushed.

“They get run over, two or three come out and eat their buddy, and they get run over, and the roads can get covered with crickets and they can get slick,” Jeff Knight, an entomologist for the Nevada agriculture department, also told KSL. “The bigger issue is these afternoon thunderstorms and put a little water on that and it gets slick, we’ve had a number of accidents caused by crickets.”

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1668773012001247234

Despite their name, the insects are not biologically crickets but technically large shield-backed katydids that closely resemble grasshoppers, according to the University of Nevada, Reno. They don’t fly, and instead walk or hop.

They lay eggs in the summer, which lie dormant in the winter and then hatch in the spring. But this year, due to an unusually rainy winter, the hatchlings were delayed. The large number of insects moving across Nevada can remain at their peak for four to six years, before being brought back under control by other insects and predators, Knight told the Guardian.

“The band of crickets in Elko [Nevada] is probably a thousand acres, and we’ve had bands even bigger than that,” he said. “The drought is probably what triggered them to start hatching. Once they do they have the upper hand, so their populations increase for several years then drop off.”

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1669079746234269697

Knight has been treating Nevada’s farmland for Mormon crickets since 1976 and has experienced about 40 outbreaks in that time. He said the high populations of crickets have been moving through Elko and other towns for the past few years. They are not necessarily migrating from one specific place to another, like butterflies do, rather they’re likely looking for more space.

“[Population density] is what triggers them to say, ‘There’s too many of us here, we’ve got to start moving.’”

Mormon crickets have been a thorn in the side of farmers in the American west for more than a century. They earned the name because swarms of the insects destroyed the fields of Mormon settlers in Utah in the mid-19th century. Since then they have continued to devastate corn, oats, wheat, rye and barley, some of the state’s most profitable crops, according to Utah State University.

Since the 1930s, the US agriculture department has been charged with helping states stop grasshoppers and Mormon crickets from destroying rangeland and crops. Western states such as Montana, Utah and Idaho have also spent millions of dollars on suppression. For example, in 2021 Oregon allocated $5m to assess and create one such program, according to the Associated Press.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/17/mormon-crickets-nevada



Mormon crickets create creepy, crawly nuisance in Elko invasion

Residents in Elko, Nevada are dealing with a nuisance that inspires some creative adjectives. Some have referred to it as biblical. Others are calling it a plague. Still others says it’s an invasion or infestation.

“It’s bugging me,” said Elko resident Colette Reynolds. “It’s really bugging me.”

There’s an obvious pun in her words, but Reynolds really means it.

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Bugging out: Millions of Mormon crickets invade Elko, Nevada

Swarms of Mormon crickets are taking over homes, roads and even the hospital in Elko, Nevada. KSL's Shara Park reports.

[Rick Plant]

Tropical Storm Formation Likely in the Central Atlantic this Week

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[Rick Plant]

WATCH: Bear caught paying unexpected visit via an open window

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — With the official start of summer approaching, plenty of people have their windows open to let in some fresh air.

And when leaving the windows open, you might expect the occasional breeze, raindrop or insect to make its way into the house.

A house in Colorado got an unexpected visitor when a bear recently saw an open window as an invitation to pay a visit.

Heidi Hannah captured a video of the bear hanging by its claws from a second-floor window in Steamboat Springs, which is in Northern Colorado.

Eventually, the bear made it inside the house and then made its way out of the home via another window on the ground floor.

https://www.kcci.com/article/video-bear-caught-climbing-through-house-open-window/44247903


Bear Climbs Through Window

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