Hi, I'm Holly. And I'm Hailey. Welcome to Mountain Mysteries, Tales from Appalachia. Oh, hello there.
Hi, Hailey. Hi, Hailey. What are we doing here? It's Tuesday.
It is Tuesday. Why are we here? This is a little scary. What are you going to do to me?
Nothing. Okay. I don't know. No, I wanted to tell you the story that my mother actually sent me.
And I thought it was just super interesting and crazy. She read it aloud to me like telling me a bedtime story one day. That's about a time when I was a murder. And I just sat there and I kept going, excuse me, what?
It didn't lull you to sleep. No, I was like, I need more. So this is a developing story. There is not a whole whole lot out there yet.
But I wanted to go ahead and start, let's talking about it. And maybe we'll do like some updates on this. But this is crazy. So we're going to Kentucky for a moment.
So this was like, and now I have to remember exactly what day it happened on. Yeah, because you know how bad I am about dates and remembering to write them down. But this happened on, let me see, let me see. How's your week been?
Pretty good. Mostly just waiting for Haley to come out with dates because if not I'm going to harass her. They did ask our special talent at a meeting I went to. And I was like my special talent as I remember dates.
Yeah. So this was around July 13th of this year. Wow, like a month ago. So Aaron Kentucky.
Okay. So here's just the headline. FBI agents search the home of a Kentucky man as part of an investigation into human remains trafficking and found quote approximately 40 human skulls, spinal cords, femurs and hip bones. That was my biggest.
So is he, did he work at a funeral home? Has he, because we've done episodes like that. Yeah. Is he like black marketing, like taking from morgues, you know?
Yeah, we'll get into that. Okay. Oh wait, here's my date. Ha ha.
James not was arrested on July 11th. Okay. Okay. The human remains in his home, along with firearms, inert grenades and body armor.
A criminal complaint alleged that not was part of a broader network involved in quote the sale and transportation of fraudulently obtained human remains. And what do you need those for? I don't know. That was my question.
When FBI agents arrived at not home to search it, they asked him if any other people were home, not replied. What? Only my dead friends. I feel like he's like a Norman Bates or something.
Oh my God. Did you imagine? Mother's here. I don't know if anybody else here.
Only my dead friends. Only my dead friends. Or just like, I mean the context of how he said it was creepy. Like, only my dead friends or like a, like a, yeah.
Only my dead friends. I'm just in there. I mean, like was, yeah, I mean, I think how he would say it like, it could be like super creepy. Yeah.
Apparently my dead friends, like my mother. I see it or I see it the other way. Yeah, I was, that's why I was laughing. Because I just envisioned it like man.
Hey, only my dead friends. Only my dead friends. Just arrogant and assy and the police were like, come on you bastard. You know, like, you stick.
Because he's just being a jerk, you know? Yeah. Yeah. So, agents search not home and found a number of the human skulls, quote, decorated around the furniture, including one skull with a headscarf wrapped around it and another skull on top of not-smatress.
It also found a Harvard medical school bag. So, so we're getting to running out of run. Well, I just went through a skull on his mattress. If that's something real nasty.
Yeah, it's bad. We don't have a whole lot of information. I don't know if I want that information. Gross.
Okay. So, federal prosecutors indicted the Harvard medical school's morgue manager last month, alleging that he and several co-conspirators stole the remains of people who'd been donated to Harvard's anatomical gifts program and sold them on the black market. Oh my God. Can you like how awful?
Yeah. Like you've donated your body to science and now you're sitting in some man's living room with a headscarf. Or on his mattress. I mean, God knows what to do.
No, I was gonna know. I don't like your hair. I don't like your hair. I don't like it.
Just say it. Yeah, it's awful. Yeah, it's horrible. Yeah.
Imagine the families. I know. That makes you never want to donate your body to science. So that network of people trafficked in, quote, heads, brains, skin, bones and other human remains.
According to an indictment filed against Harvard's morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, Lodge even sold dissected faces and hired a man to tan human skin, quote, to create leather. And other remains even ended up being sold in a doll shop in Salem, Massachusetts named Cats Creepy Creations. Salem already. I mean, you know, come on.
It's not funny. It's none of this is funny, but I'm so uncomfortable. Just me, my dad, friends. I'm so uncomfortable.
This is my way of coping. I like to make crafts. And one of my favorite things to do is just take these dead parts of people's bodies. And I like to craft them up, make them look off for you and make them look like things.
I saw them. It's really great. And I don't know if she knew the person who ran this. She may have thought it was like imitation fake.
Right. Oh, cool. What a cool novelty. Yeah.
Or like, there are legally, like, you can get bones. They can't. I don't like that. But like, there's a way to do it, I think.
I don't know. I've never said to myself, gee. Well, like, I really want to feel it. Yeah.
Well, like, you know, places display things and they had to acquire them somehow. I feel like I can show off like it's artwork or like a new vase I bought. I mean, I mean, like I need, you know, grandma's femur. Somebody offered me a real human skull.
I would say no. I know. Because that's pretty cool. It is cool.
But. Nah. I mean, if it just happened, like if I happened upon. If you happened upon it, call it damn cocks.
I mean, like, you leave alone. Give me anything out of it. You know what? I didn't want this girl anymore.
Avant-Louis. So, hey, like, do you want it? And she's like, oh my gosh, she has to turn it into a lamp. OMG.
Like, that would be really cool. That is so weird. If you want my school, you can have it. What says that you're going before me?
Oh, no. You met me. That is true. You are going to have a short life.
But we've decided. But I feel that would be inappropriate, disrespectful to your family and to your body. I think that would be okay with it. I think that's weird.
And then, like, I go crazy and start talking to you. I mean, if you wanted to leave me your school, I wouldn't say no. We can do it. We can continue the podcast with your school moving.
It's super challenging. I do the voice. It's just like, you know, because I have a little higher pitch voice. So, mine, hi, I'm Holly.
I'm Holly. Yeah. Yeah. Just a little chattering in my teeth.
Like, does her chompers hear them? No, it'll grow. So, I'll put your head on a stick. I mean, what?
Well, I don't think I'd want, like, a family member's call. But thanks. My friends. I would take.
I don't know. I might. But there's mom. Just gonna say, I don't want you to have my school.
I want some of the little bum to that. My plan is, I'm planning to be cremated. You can get your head for that. Why don't you take some of my ashes?
That's not fun. But yes, I would gladly take some of your ashes. But I'm pretty sure I'm going out for you. Take another little piece of my head and then I'll be there.
Like, no, it's weird. But yes, I'm sure my family would be willing to get you some of my ashes. And you can pretend it was my head. Okay.
Okay. Sure. So I decided that not was using a public Facebook page with the name William Burke to post pictures of human remains for sale, the FBI recovered messages between not and other, and another person discussing a transaction. The person sent messages like, quote, how much for the couple and the last video you sent plus the spines again.
Like, Facebook marketplace. This is not when I think of Facebook. I'm not on that side of Facebook. I tend to sell things like, you know, my sun stroller, maybe a crib, you know, piece of furniture.
Some chairs. You have some bar stores recently. Yeah, but I still agree. I still got two more.
Anyway, that kind of stuff. I don't tend to be like, well, you know, here's Haley's head plus the spines. Like, what do you give me for a real good femur? Like, you know, good shape young.
This person, you know, died at 23. Like, this is ridiculous. No. Yeah.
This seems like dark web shit. But it doesn't seem like it would be on the Facebook. It's literally on Facebook. And what are you doing with this stuff?
I do barely have a stick rating. Unless, even at that, even if it was for your own medical, like, you know, figuring things I don't know. I think this thing was literally using them as decorations in its own. One is fine.
40 is still a little excessive. That is excessive. Yeah. The FBI said that the person not was communicating with ultimately got busted by local police and tipped them off to a broader network of people involved in human remains trafficking.
One of those people was lodged, the Harvard Medical Board Manager. Not has since been charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and told FBI agents during a Miranda's interview that he owned an AK-47 rifle and revolver he bought in a garage sale, not pleaded guilty to multiple felony weapons charges in 2011 and is not permitted to own firearms according to court records. Not as currently in the custody of the United States Marshal Service and has not yet issued a plea in his public defender did not respond to requests for recent articles for comment. Good job, Harvard.
And number two, you go your whole life and you are able to, you know, live somewhat peacefully, not trafficked, alive, then you die and now you are trapped. What you don't know. Absolutely not. I mean, yeah, you don't know.
But I mean, it's got to be like, what is it? Something of a corpse. I can't think of what it's called. Decradation?
Not degradation. Something. Yeah, I know Sean. It's not coming to me.
But anyway, desecration. Desecration of a corpse. So I mean, that would have to be the truth. But like, you go your whole life and then you kick the bucket.
You think you're doing something good. I'm giving it to science. No, no, you're giving it to some creepo to set up camp in his living room and like, oh, look at my head. Like, that's so stupid.
Like, and maybe he wasn't that shit crazy. Maybe he was like, hey, Tom, how are you doing? I'm doing great. He just hears teeth shatter and he does the voice of each one of them.
I mean, he could be crazy. I mean, right? Hey, yeah. Yeah.
What? And that's it. That's all we got so far. I will continue to update because I'm following the story.
I'm glad that you interrupted my normal Tuesday. You're welcome because this one and I think the title of this one is going to be only my my dead friends. I like that. Yeah, I like it.
Because that line just really stuck with me. Oh, my corpsey friends are coming over tonight. Yeah. Yeah, I like it.
It just has a party. Mm-hmm. That's um, that's that. That's that.
That's that. I like it. And you know, we're probably in and around 155 plus episodes. Maybe it won 57.
I'm not sure. But I have to go back and look. Okay. But so this is nice.
It kind of looks like, look at us. We're another over halfway to the 200 mark. Crazy. I know.
We love ourselves. Bonus there. Well, happy Tuesday. I'm so glad you got this bonus.
If you want to hear more from us and I know you do, please email us at mountainmysteries.appleletchen.gmail.com. Find us on Facebook at mountainmysteries.tales from Appalachia. You can also find us on Instagram at mountainmysteries.appleletchia and patreon. Patreon.com slash mountainmysteries.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ellie, do you have a special shout out for this special bonus episode? Yeah, I do. Um, try to find a really good one.
She's always watching. I know. I'm just scrolling. It's all an immersion every week.
What about... Look at all these. We haven't, but I just think all the familiar. Okay.
Um, what about Rockland, Massachusetts? Sounds good. Okay. Rockland, Massachusetts.
Yeah. Thanks for rockin' with us. That's a lot. We'll do it.
Alright. Well, we'll see you Thursday for our, you know, regularly scheduled program. We will be here. Bye.
Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.