An Arkansas woman pleaded not guilty after being indicted for allegedly selling stolen body parts from medical school corpses for $11,000 to a man she met on Facebook.
Former mortuary worker Candace Chapman Scott, 36, stands accused of selling at least 20 boxes of body parts to Jeremy Lee Pauley, 40, whom she met in a social media group about ‘oddities.’
In the April 5 federal indictment, Pauley – who was arrested for abuse of a corpse in 2022 – is not named as the buyer but he was named in separate state charges.
‘Just out of curiosity, would you know anyone in the market for a fully in tact, embalmed brain?’ Scott allegedly wrote to Pauley in her first Facebook message.
Scott has 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.
An Arkansas woman has pleaded not guilty after being indicted for allegedly selling stolen body parts from medical school corpses for $11,000 to a man she met on Facebook. Pictured: The University of Arkansas’s Medical School in Little Rock
In the April 5 federal indictment, Jeremy Lee Pauley – who was arrested for abuse of a corpse in 2022 – is not named as the buyer but he was named in separate state charges
According to the indictment, which was unsealed Friday in federal court in Little Rock, Arkansas, Scott worked at Arkansas Central Mortuary Services.
In her role, Scott was tasked with transporting, cremating and embalming remains.
The funeral home was where the University of Arkansas Medical Services would send the remains of cadavers after students had examined them.
In October 2021, the woman allegedly approached Pauley and offered to sell him remains from the medical school.
She reportedly told the man the mortuary she worked at needed to cremate and return the remains.
After the initial message, the two allegedly conspired back and forth over the course of nine months.
In that time, the indictment claims, Scott sold Pauley fetuses, brains, hearts, lungs, genitalia, large pieces of skin and other body parts.
At one point, Scott allegedly sold Pauley the remains of a fetus.
She gave the man a discount on the remains because ‘he’s not in great shape,’ the indictment alleges.
The funeral home where Scott worked would receive remains from the University of Arkansas Medical Services after students had examined them
PICTURED: part of a mouth Pauley purchased before his arrest in August
Pauley allegedly purchased the remains from a woman named Candace Scott for $4,000. The shipment included a liver, a lung, two kidneys, a female pelvis, a torso with a nipple, and four human hands. PICTURED: Pauley’s latest purchase of ‘medical bones’ before his arrest
Another message from December 2021 alleged Scott offered to sell Pauley ‘2 brains, one with skullcap, 3 hearts one cut, 2 fake boobies, one large belly button piece of skin, [one] arm, one huge piece of skin and one lung.’
That cost Pauley $1,600 and the woman received a PayPal payment later that day.
Throughout their relationship, the indictment states Scott was sent $10,975 in 16 separate PayPal payments.
Prosecutors asked Judge J. Thomas Ray on Friday that Scott remain behind bars until her trial and said they were worried she might flee if released.
‘I think that the facts … underlying the indictment and in the indictment are uniquely egregious and objectionable and we believe there is going to be some significant public outcry as a result of this,’ Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Jegley said.
The judge said the accusations against her are ‘shocking and depraved’ but that they could only hold her without bail if she was dangerous or a flight risk.
‘The indictment alleges horribly egregious conduct, shocking conduct,’ Ray said.
‘But under the Bail Reform Act, those aren’t factors that I consider for dangerousness that goes to danger to the community or risk of the community,’ Ray continued.
Scott’s indictment comes eight months after Pauley (pictured) was arrested for abuse of a corpse into Pennsylvania
PICTURED: Teeth purchased by Pauley. While investigating, police found ‘several’ buckets of human remains in his home
PICTURED: ‘Antique articulated partial pelvis’ Pauley sold in early August
Some of Pauley’s other purchases have included ‘very old’ skulls from children. ‘Note the adult teeth haven’t dropped yet,’ he wrote on Facebook
‘As shocking and depraved as the alleged conduct is, none of that would go toward dangerousness so the only thing I see here that would support a request for detention is obviously flight risk.’
She remains in jail until a hearing on her bail, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
Scott’s indictment comes eight months after Pauley was arrested for abuse of a corpse into Pennsylvania.
He has also been charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property, a misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property and a felony count of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities.
At this time, Pauley is free on bail and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 7.