Authorities said that a former Arkansas mortuary employee has been charged with federal crimes in relation to the alleged sale of stolen body parts, including brains and fetuses, to a Pennsylvanian.
Candace Scott, 36, pleaded not guilty to 12 counts including mail fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, and interstate transportation of stolen property, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday.
Scott remains in custody until a Tuesday bail hearing, according to authorities.
According to authorities, the woman has been accused of selling $11,000 in body parts to an individual she met on Facebook through a group for “oddities”.
Police reported that Jeremy Pauley from East Pennsboro Township was arrested in 2013 for allegedly purchasing organs such as lungs and brains. Online records show that he has denied the charges and is now free after posting a $50,000 bond.
The next court date is the preliminary hearing scheduled for June 7.
Scott, according to authorities, was employed by Arkansas Central Mortuary Services. She worked there cremating, embalming, and transporting human remains. According to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock receives remains and cadavers for students at its facility.
CBS News reported that according to the charges, Scott had allegedly offered Pauley to buy his remains when he contacted him in October 2021.
Would you, just out of curiousity, know someone who is looking for an intact brain embalmed in its entirety? The indictment claims that Scott sent Pauley a message on Facebook.
Indictment: Scott received $10975 via 16 PayPal payments.
U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Thomas Ray called the alleged conduct “shocking and depraved,” but told prosecutors, who requested that Scott be held without bail until trial, that she could only be ordered to remain jailed if she is deemed a flight risk, CBS News reported.
Pennsylvania authorities discovered last year’s alleged scheme after investigating reports that human remains were found at Pauley’s house. They said that investigators discovered 5-gallon jars of body parts.
This is the strangest investigation I’ve seen in thirty-three year of being a prosecutor. Just when I think I have seen it all, a case like this comes around,” District Attorney Sean McCormackSaid in a Statementthen.