A woman from Little Rock, Arkansas, Candace Scott Chapman will now spend 15 years in a federal prison. She was previously accused of stealing and then selling body parts online while she used to work at a local mortuary associated with the University of Arkansas for Medical Science (UAMS). A Pennsylvania man, Jeremy Pauley, who purchased body parts from Chapman, took a plea deal back in 2023.
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The charges Scott faced before her final conviction and sentencing alleged that she sold up to 20 boxes filled with stolen body parts from Arkansas Central Mortuary Services in 2021. She would then sell these boxes over 9 months to Pauley. These boxes were filled with fetuses, brains, lungs, genitalia, skin, and other body parts, according to 4029 News. According to the indictment documents, she would net $10,975 total in 16 PayPal transfers from Pauley.
Disturbing Details
"Just out of curiosity, would you know anyone in the market for a fully in tact, embalmed brain?" Scott wrote to Pauley, according to the indictment. Scott would follow up with a second message: "I actually just looked and I have 2 embalmed with skull caps." Many other disturbing messages between the two would list the body parts available for purchase.
Investigations on Jeremy Pauley revealed that he was previously charged in Pennsylvania with several problematic misdemeanors and felonies. These include abuse of a corpse, receiving stolen property, and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, according to 4029 News. PEOPLE reported that Pauley pleaded guilty to the abuse of a corpse charge in connection to the Scott case. He received a sentence of two years of probation.
Candace Scott Chapman, in turn, pleaded guilty to transporting stolen body parts across state lines and conspiracy to commit fraud, according to 4029 News. She was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. As part of a plea deal, other counts were dropped. These included transportation of stolen property, wire fraud, and mail fraud.
University Speaks Out
A UAMS spokesperson, Leslie Taylor, stated back in 2023 that the university was in full cooperation with the FBI, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. However, at the time, the body parts that were stolen had not been identified. "It is extremely difficult to make identifications from embalmed body parts because the DNA is damaged," Taylor said.
Despite the details of the case, UAMS still contracts with Arkansas Central Mortuary Services. "When the FBI informed us and the owners of the crematorium of this crime, they immediately fired the employee and cooperated fully in the investigation," Taylor clarified. "This is no indication anyone else is involved."
