Two men involved in a nationwide trafficking ring centered in Pennsylvania have received prison sentences for their crimes. These cases have exposed a disturbing underground trade in stolen human remains, including those of babies. The sentences mark a significant development in an ongoing investigation into the trafficking of stolen human remains throughout the United States.
The Sentences and Crimes
This Article Includes
Matthew Lampi, 50, of Minnesota, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for his role in shipping stolen human remains. In addition to his prison sentence, Lampi was fined $2,000 and compelled to pay $1,700 to the mother of a stillborn child whose remains were illegally auctioned. Lampi acknowledged obtaining stolen human remains, including the stillborn baby’s body, from Pennsylvania resident Jeremy Pauley.
The inquiry indicated that Pauley obtained the stolen remains from Candace Chapman Scott, a former mortuary and crematorium employee in Little Rock, Arkansas. Candace Chapman Scott, a former mortuary and crematorium employee in Little Rock, Arkansas, had removed body parts from cadavers, including the remains of two stillborn newborns and other donated cadavers intended for education.
Lampi and Pauley have been exchanging stolen remains for years, with transactions totaling over $100,000.
In another case, a Kansas court sentenced 39-year-old Angelo Pereyra to 18 months in prison for the theft and sale of human remains and body parts. Pereyra worked as a pathology assistant in a Kansas hospital from 2018 to 2022, when he stole organs, dismembered body parts, and even the remains of miscarried and stillborn fetuses. He subsequently sold the remains to Andrew Ensanian of Pennsylvania.
The Stolen Remains
Pereyra’s criminal spree included frightening deeds such as the stealing of organs like hearts, livers, spleens, and even testicles, as well as the amputation of feet and toes.
We obtained some of these body parts from deceased patients, while we stole others from living patients undergoing medical treatments. The criminal trade escalated when Ensanian in Pennsylvania purchased the stolen remains.
Meanwhile, Lampi’s case centered on the heartbreaking theft of stillborn children’s bodies, intended for distribution to grieving families after cremation. The violation of trust has had a significant emotional impact on the afflicted families.
A Nationwide Investigation
After a thorough investigation into the trafficking of stolen human remains, which also involved the well-known case of remains being stolen from Harvard Medical School, sentences have been handed down. U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam has strongly condemned these crimes as “appalling.”
Karam expressed his deep concern over certain crimes that are difficult to comprehend. He emphasized the severity of the theft and trafficking of human remains, as it directly attacks the core of our humanity. Karam found it especially reprehensible that many of the victims willingly donated their remains for the purpose of educating medical professionals and furthering scientific advancements for healing. The fact that these individuals and their families were exploited for profit is truly shocking.
Awaiting Sentencing
Jeremy Pauley and Candace Chapman Scott are still awaiting punishment for their involvement in the trafficking of stolen human remains. As the inquiry progresses, additional information regarding the entire scope of the network involved in this horrible crime is likely to surface.
