Jeremy Pauley, 41 and from Enola in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking in human remains. He had initially been arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse, receiving stolen property and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities.
On Friday, Pauley admitted to being part of a nationwide network that bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary. At a US District Court in Scranton, Pauley entered his guilty plea before US District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property.
The body modification artist – whose head is decorated with metal spikes and has a tattoo covering one half of his face and his eyeball – posted pictures of body parts he for sale on a now-deleted Facebook page.
His grisly and macabre stock included piles of human femurs, vertebrae, clavicles, ribs and teeth. Pauley claimed the human remains were purchased legally – and told police he was a collector of “oddities”.
During their first visit to Pauley’s home law enforcement officials did find what they described as “older human remains” that they determined were lawfully obtained. These included full human skeletons.
But, following a fresh tip-off, police returned to the house to find new purchases that were more recent human remains These reportedly included assorted body parts, including two brains, human skin and fat, a heart, a kidney, livers, lungs, a trachea and a child’s mandible with teeth.
Packages that allegedly contained body parts – including half a human head – and were addressed to Pauley and sent by an Arkansas woman, Candace Scott, were later intercepted by federal and state law enforcement agents. It is alleged that Pauley had arranged, via Facebook Messenger to pay Scott $4,000 for the body parts
The US Attorney’s office said Scott and five others have been charged along with Pauley and are pending trial.
