Tattoo parlour owner 'buys human brains and stillborn' in sick body part trade

03 February 2024 , 01:34

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A tattoo parlour in Minnesota was allegedly a hub for the trafficking of human body parts (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A tattoo artist was among several people charged in the bust of a massive human remains trafficking ring that involved the sale of stillborn babies and human brains.

Matthew Lampi, 52, of East Bethel, Minnesota, near Minneapolis, had allegedly used his parlour in Minnesota as a base of operations for some of the Black Market transactions that took place.

He was one of at least six individuals who were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of "conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods," according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, or more specifically, the United States Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

"The indictments and information allege that a nationwide network of individuals bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary," the release states, citing U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam and charging documents.

Lampi and an accomplice, Jeremy Pauley, 41, of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, allegedly sold many of the parts they had bought from some of the others indicted out of the tattoo parlour in Minnesota, even purchasing or selling to each other, online payments of around $100,000 show.

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The press release from the DOJ alleges that stillborn babies were among the body parts sold (Getty Images/Stocktrek Images)

It allegedly started with Cedric Lodge, 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, who managed the morgue for the Anatomical Gifts Program at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He allegedly "stole organs and other parts of cadavers donated for medical research and education before their scheduled cremations," then allegedly transported them to his New Hampshire home, out of which he and his wife Denise, 63, were said to have sold remains to at least three of the others indicted.

The sales were done after arrangements were reportedly made via the phone and on social media, though which sites remain unclear, the press release states. It also says the sales happened between 2018 and 2022 and alleges that the New Hampshire couple would let Katrina Maclean, 44, of Salem, Massachusetts, and Joshua Taylor, 46, of West Lawn, Pennsylvania, into the morgue to peruse the parts. Taylor would then allegedly transport the goods back to Pennsylvania, which is where they were allegedly sold to Pauley, but the release also states that some were allegedly shipped out of state, including to Candace Chapman Scott of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Pauley was also said to have purchased stolen body parts from Scott, who would allegedly steal them from a Little Rock mortuary and crematorium at which she worked. She, like the Lodges, allegedly stole parts that were supposed to be cremated by her, and it is from her that the two stillborn babies were taken. Pauley would then resell them to people like Lampi, which is how the plot comes full-circle back to the Minnesota tattoo parlour.

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Human brains were also allegedly sold by the Black Market ring (THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSI)

The Minnesota StarTribune reported that Pauley would buy the corpse parts, including bones, skulls, skin, entire stillborn babies, dissected faces, heads and other internal organs from Scott, paying her $1,600 via PayPal on one occasion, the outlet reported, which he then turned around and sold to Lampi on Facebook for $4,000.

At one point, the outlet reported that Lampi asked Pauley for an update on the body parts and was told that Pauley was "going to pack up [the] brain and heart tonight." Just months later, the two decided to trade an entire stillborn baby for five human skulls, the outlet said.

Karam stated in the press release: "Some crimes defy understanding. 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."

He added: "With these charges, we are seeking to secure some measure of justice for all these victims." FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire also stated: "The defendants violated the trust of the deceased and their families all in the name of greed. While today's charges cannot undo the unfathomable pain this heinous crime has caused, the FBI will continue to work tirelessly to see that justice is served."

The investigation is still under way, and victims and their families are being contacted. People with more information, including those anyone who believes they might also be a victim or that someone they know could be are being encouraged to contact the Victim and Witness Unit of the United States Attorney's Office at [email protected] or by calling 717-614-4249.

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Each of those indicted could serve a maximum of 15 years in prison followed by "supervised release," or parole, as well as some hefty fines of unstated amounts. Many agreed to plead guilty in exchange for deals or leniency.

Jeremiah Hassel