The investigation into the theft of human remains from Harvard Medical School’s morgue led to the discovery of bones at the home of a Kentucky man who has now been arrested.
A Kentucky man was arrested this week on a weapons charge after being investigated as part of the suspected human body parts ring that led to a Harvard Medical School morgue official's arrest last month.
The man, William Nott, had about 40 human bones, including skulls, at his house in Mt. Washington, Kentucky, as well as a Harvard Medical School bag, federal officials said.
"The skulls were decorated around the furniture," an FBI agent wrote in a complaint filed in federal court Tuesday. "One skull had a head scarf around it. One skull was located on the mattress where [he] slept. A Harvard Medical School bag was found inside the Residence."
Nott was arrested for allegedly possessing a gun as a convicted felon — he had an AK-47 and inert grenades among other weapons in the house, officials said. No charges have been filed over the body parts allegedly found at the house.
It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak to his arrest.
Several people have been arrested in the alleged trafficking of human body parts from Harvard Medical School's morgue and an Arkansas mortuary, federal prosecutors have said. The scheme allegedly ran from 2018 to early 2023; Harvard Medical School's then-morgue manager is accused of allowing people into the morgue to choose which body parts they wanted, as well as bringing body parts to his home, where he and his wife would ship them to buyers.
Investigators began looking into Nott because of communications with a Pennsylvania man who's previously been arrested in the case, according to the criminal complaint. During a search of the house on Tuesday, an FBI agent asked Nott if anyone else was home, and Nott replied, "only my dead friends," the complaint said.
They shared images of skulls that Nott allegedly posted for sale on Facebook as recently as June. The account used the name William Burke, the complaint said, noting that a 19th century Scottish serial killer by the same name sold victims' bodies to a lecturer in the University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Department.
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Nott served three years behind bars for a collection of destructive devices, NBC affiliate WAVE reported.
Harvard has condemned what its former employee is accused of as "morally reprehensible and inconsistent" and has pledged to work with families of people who donated their bodies to the medical school — working with the bodies is part of medical students' training.
This week, students from Harvard's medical and dental schools wrote a letter to affected families discussing how much it means to them to be able to learn from their work with these cadavers.
"It is absolutely unthinkable that such an atrocity would ever occur. No words can undo those actions, and while we can never understand how you are feeling, we do hope that we can convey our deepest condolences to you and your loved ones," the letter said.
The body part sale allegations have spurred lawsuits against Harvard; the school has said it doesn't comment on pending litigation.
Jack Porter of Newton, Massachusetts, has been told by Harvard that his wife's remains may have been among those stolen. He says the situation is disturbing.
"It just bothers me that the possibility that my wife's body is out there," Porter said. "I just don't want anybody fondling or looking at my wife's body parts. It's disgusting."
"These aren't cadavers, pieces and parts, these were someone's loved ones," said attorney Kathryn Barnett, who is representing multiple families in a lawsuit against Harvard.
She says families trusted Harvard to care for their loved ones.
"And that there won't be a criminal who can parade other criminals around to pick and choose like they're at a flea market, what parts would they like," said Barnett, who has expertise in desecration law at Morgan & Morgan
