A horrifying case of body part trafficking has recently come to light in Alabama, where a mortuary worker was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for selling human remains, including fetuses, to a collector with a penchant for macabre items. Candace Chapman Scott, 37, was found guilty of selling body parts from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Anatomical Gift Program to Jeremy Lee Pauley, a heavily tattooed and pierced individual from Pennsylvania whom she met on a Facebook group dedicated to discussing the sale of human remains.
During her sentencing, Judge Brian S. Miller expressed shock and disgust at Scott’s crimes, labeling them as some of the worst he had ever seen. Scott, from Little Rock, was charged with transporting stolen human body parts out of the state and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Last April, she pleaded guilty to these charges, admitting to selling a variety of body parts, including skulls, brains, arms, ears, lungs, hearts, breasts, and even testicles, between October 2021 and July 2022.
Pauley, a self-described “oddities collector,” paid Scott $10,625 for 24 boxes of body parts, which were part of a larger network involved in body snatching from prestigious institutions like Harvard Medical School and the Arkansas mortuary. When investigators searched Scott’s residence, they discovered several body parts, with Scott confessing to bagging them at her workplace. She even informed Pauley that the wrong ashes from a cremated body would be returned to the parents of deceased fetuses.
The case took a heartbreaking turn when it was revealed that the cremated remains of a child, known as “Baby Lux,” were not actually those of the deceased child, as the FBI had recovered the child’s body in another state. Lux’s mother, Doneysha Smith, expressed her devastation during the sentencing, recounting how she imagined her son being sent around like an Amazon package.
As the sentencing proceeded, Miller was visibly emotional and offered an apology for her actions. The FBI described the crime as incomprehensible and detestable, emphasizing the importance of seeking justice for the victimized families. Pauley, on the other hand, is currently awaiting sentencing in Pennsylvania after pleading guilty to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property.
This disturbing case sheds light on the dark underworld of individuals engaging in the trafficking of stolen human bodies and body parts. The sentencing of Scott and the ongoing legal proceedings against Pauley serve as a reminder of the importance of upholding justice and holding accountable those involved in such heinous crimes.
