Man Arrested After Feds Discover Home 'Decorated' With Human Body Parts
A Kentucky man accused of selling human remains on Facebook was arrested on firearms charges after federal agents said they found his apartment in Mount Washington “decorated” with dozens of human skulls.
Federal agents said they linked James Nott, 39, to a network of individuals who allegedly bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School’s morgue, according to the complaint. Six people were charged with trafficking human remains last month when the alleged thefts from the Harvard morgue were first revealed.
According to court documents, FBI investigators reviewed Facebook messages between Nott and Jeremy Pauley, a 40-year-old in Enola, Pennsylvania, who had been charged in the scheme earlier. The two allegedly conversed about selling body parts. Court records show Pauley has signed an agreement to plead guilty to conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods. The remains found in Nott’s home were not believed to be from the Harvard morgue, but he allegedly attempted to sell them to someone connected to the morgue case.
According to the complaint, Nott allegedly sent Pauley photos and videos of skulls he was selling publicly on Facebook, stating that “these will be here soon.. not claimed yet.”
“yeah some of these prices are fucking garbage out there. I don’t mind paying up a little for shop stock,” Pauley allegedly replied. “Makes things look good. How much total for the couple and the last video you sent plus the spines?”
According to the federal complaint, Nott had been publicly listing human remains for sale on Facebook under the name of “William Burke,” an apparent reference to a serial killer in Scotland who sold his victims’ corpses in the early 1800s.
Authorities conducted a search of Nott’s apartment on Tuesday and reported finding several firearms, explosives and ammunition, as well as multiple AK-47 assault rifles that were obtained from out of state.
The building in Mount Washington, Kentucky, where James Nott rented an apartment, shown via Google Maps.
The complaint noted that before entering the apartment, officers asked Nott if anyone else was inside, to which he responded, “Only my dead friends.”
Inside the home, law enforcement found additional human remains, which included skulls, spinal cords, femurs and hip bones, according to the complaint.
Authorities described the skulls as being placed decoratively around his furniture, with one of them wrapped in a headscarf and another in the bed where Nott slept.
Nott was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. It was unclear if federal prosecutors would pursue further charges related to the buying and selling of human remains. Attorneys prosecuting Nott’s case did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Last month, federal charges were announced against half a dozen people with connections to Cedric Lodge, 55, who was fired as Harvard’s morgue manager.
According to a federal complaint, Lodge and his wife, Denise Lodge, allegedly agreed to sell human skin stolen from Harvard’s medical school to Katrina Maclean, who operated a store called Kat’s Creepy Creations. Authorities said Maclean would ship the skin to Pauley to tan it into leather.
Pauley addressed the recent allegations in a long statement posted on Facebook, saying that in most states it is legal to sell and buy human remains and pushing back against shaming for collecting human remains.
“Now I completely understand it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I understand that some people don’t show the respect others would like to see. But in my time I have met some of the most intelligent, wholesome, and respectful people you could meet,” Pauley wrote.
Pauley stated that his collection of human body parts began as a way for him to conserve “history, restoring it and appreciating the wealth of knowledge that comes with it.”
“There has always been a fascination with death and our own mortality dating back hundreds of centuries. Some fear it, some embrace it, some learn from it. That’s just a fact,” Pauley wrote.
The Lodges have pleaded not guilty, as have Maclean and another co-defendant, Joshua Taylor, who is also accused of buying remains to resell them.
