An Arkansas woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing body parts from corpses, as well as a deceased fetus, and listing them for sale on Facebook.
Candace Chapman Scott, 37, was working at a mortuary when she stole at least 24 boxes of human body parts from medical school cadavers.
Last April, Scott pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
The charges stemmed from Scott selling 24 boxes of human remains to Jeremy Pauley of Pennsylvania for $11,000 after linking with him in a Facebook group for “oddities.” The body parts included fetuses, brains, hearts, lungs, genitalia, large pieces of skin, and more.
“The remains included a skull, multiple brains, an arm, an ear, multiple lungs, multiple hearts, multiple breasts, a belly button, testicles, and other parts. During a search warrant executed at Scott’s Little Rock home, investigators found numerous stolen body parts that she admitted she transported in trash bags from her work,” the DOJ said in a press release.
Scott reportedly sold Pauley the fetus at a discount, saying, “he’s not in great shape.”
“Imagine learning that the cremated remains of your child given to you after their death were not actually those of your child, because instead the FBI recovered the body of that child in another state. That is the shocking truth that happened in this case for the family of ‘Baby Lux,’” stated Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
“Baby Lux was named ‘Lux Siloam,’ which means ‘light sent,’ and now his light has illuminated an evil and dark underworld of criminals who engage in the trafficking of stolen human bodies and body parts. And with help from the powerful testimony of Baby Lux’s mother and grandmother at yesterday’s sentencing hearing, the criminal responsible for the theft and trafficking of the bodies and body parts of many Arkansas victims, including Baby Lux, has been held accountable. Let today’s sentence stand as a warning to anyone else committing these crimes that our office will spare no effort to find you, arrest you, and seek the harshest penalty under the law.”
According to a report from The Mirror at the time of her guilty plea, Pauley has “previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the theft and sale of body parts from both the Arkansas mortuary and Harvard Medical School.”
The report continued:
The connection between Scott and Pauley was reportedly established through a Facebook group focused on “oddities.” Scott was employed at Arkansas Central Mortuary Services, where her responsibilities included transporting, cremating, and embalming remains.
Prosecutors allege that she exploited her position to facilitate the illegal transactions. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock has confirmed that the medical school sent cadaver remains to the mortuary, intended for student examination.
According to prosecutors, Scott approached Pauley in October 2021 and began offering to sell him remains from the medical school that the mortuary was supposed to cremate and return. The indictment alleges Scott wrote to Pauley in her first Facebook message: “Just out of curiosity, would you know anyone in the market for a fully in tact, embalmed brain?”
Scott was facing up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for transporting stolen property and up to 20 years and a fine for the mail fraud charge.
According to the DOJ, Scott was given 10 years in federal prison for interstate transportation of stolen property and 15 years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. She will serve both sentences concurrently for a total of 15 years. The judge in the case also sentenced Scott to a total of three years’ supervised release, a fine of $10,625, and restitution in the amount of $1,800.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“This was a truly incomprehensible and detestable crime,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation Little Rock Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder. “This sentencing does not reverse the immeasurable damage that has been caused to the victimized families, however, the FBI and our partners will continuously work to ensure justice is served for all.”
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