Former mortuary worker Candace Chapman Scott, 37, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to transporting stolen body parts across state lines and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. She sold 24 boxes of stolen body parts from medical school cadavers to a Pennsylvania man for almost $11,000. Scott stole the body parts and fetal remains while working for a mortuary services provider between October 2021 and July 2022, arranging for them to be transported across state lines to the purchaser. An attorney representing Scott declined to comment on the case.
Scott was employed at Arkansas Central Mortuary Services where she would transport, cremate, and embalm remains. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock had sent cadaver remains that were donated for medical students to examine to this mortuary service. Scott was indicted in April 2023 and charged with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud, and two counts of interstate transportation of stolen property. She faces up to 10 years in prison on the transporting stolen property charge, and up to 20 years in prison for the mail fraud charge. She will be sentenced at a later date.
The plea agreement resulted in prosecutors dropping 10 other wire and mail charges against Scott. She will be sentenced at a later date for her involvement in the scheme to steal and sell human body parts from the Arkansas mortuary and Harvard Medical School. Donna Mendell contributed to the case. No further information was provided regarding the other defendants charged in this scheme, or their current legal status.
The case of Scott highlights a disturbing trend of individuals involved in the illicit trade of human body parts. The fact that she was able to steal and sell these body parts from donated cadavers meant for medical education is particularly troubling. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences must put stricter measures in place to prevent such thefts in the future and ensure the sanctity of cadaver donation for educational purposes.
It is essential to hold individuals like Scott accountable for their actions to deter others from engaging in similar criminal activities. The penalties she faces, up to 10 years in prison for transporting stolen property and up to 20 years for mail fraud, reflect the seriousness of her crimes. The legal system must ensure that justice is served for the victims whose body parts were stolen and sold in this scheme. The involvement of multiple defendants in the nationwide scheme indicates the need for greater oversight and regulation in the handling of human remains.
