logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
29m 10s

Postmortem, Ep. 2: The victims

Wbur
About this episode
When news of the Harvard morgue scandal went viral, no one was hit harder than the families of people who had donated their bodies for study at the nation's most prestigious medical school. As if grieving the loss of a loved one wasn't enough, now there was this: the specter of a family member's body dismembered and sold to strangers for profit. In Episode 2 of Postmortem: The Stolen Bodies of Harvard, reporter Ally Jarmanning talks with Amber Haggstrom, whose mother donated her body to Harvard after death. We hear Haggstrom's outrage and raw emotion as she learns the news — and her frustration at Harvard's lack of answers as to how it failed to protect her mother's body. We hear, too, from the attorney representing the families, and trying to hold Harvard accountable. If you have questions, comments or tips about this story, you can reach us at LastSeen@wbur.org.
Up next
May 2024
Postmortem, Ep. 3: The collectors
<p>Who are the people buying this stuff anyway? People who collect human remains don’t see it as gross. In fact, these collectors connect and communicate openly on social media. In Episode 3 of <em>Postmortem: The Stolen Bodies of Harvard</em>, reporter Ally Jarmanning meets Jere ... Show More
35m 50s
May 2024
Postmortem, Ep. 4: The anatomy lab
<p>As haunting as the Harvard morgue scandal is, you don't have to go back very far in history to find practices for sourcing bodies that would be shocking today. Reporter Ally Jarmanning finds that for more than a century, medical schools relied on grave robbing and body snatchi ... Show More
23m 47s
May 2024
Postmortem, Ep. 5: A reckoning
<p>In Episode 5 of <em>Postmortem: The Stolen Bodies of Harvard</em>, reporter Ally Jarmanning digs deeper into the "legitimate" realm of body-parts collecting ⁠— museums ⁠— and asks the burning question: How different is this from the world of Jeremy Pauley in his basement or Ce ... Show More
28m 42s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2025
INFAMOUS: University of Idaho Murders
<p>Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, four University of Idaho students in their 20s, were brutally murdered inside their off-campus home in the early morning hours on November 13, 2022. Two surviving roommates and a heartwrenching 911 call led poli ... Show More
1h 25m
Aug 2025
Inside The Idaho Murders: Part 4 - The Victims
At the center of this tragic story are four innocent victims: Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. In shocking cases such as these, it's important to center the lives and legacies of those who were taken too soon - not the monsters who took them. In t ... Show More
29m 28s
Oct 2025
INFAMOUS: The Murdaugh Family Murders
<p>When Maggie and Paul Murdaugh are killed on their family’s estate in 2021, the investigation unravels a history of privilege, corruption, and suspicious deaths tied to one of South Carolina’s most influential families. But beneath the headlines and courtroom drama are stories ... Show More
56m 1s
Nov 2016
Episode 1: Sisters in Death
In 1964, 19-year-old Mary Sullivan was strangled to death in her apartment, the 13th victim of a killing spree that had terrorized Boston for 18 months. Her death remained unsolved for nearly 50 years. The same is true for a dozen more deaths attributed to the Boston Strangler. I ... Show More
39m 4s
Apr 2025
EP120: Mother of Vengeance
Join our Patreon family for exclusive access to BTS, bonus episodes, a private group chat, first dibs on ticket and merch sales, and more! www.Patreon.com/PsychopediaPod Miriam Rodríguez was a 56-year-old mother living in San Fernando, Tamaulipas, when her life was shattered in 2 ... Show More
1h 5m
Oct 2023
Take Care of Maya Trial-Day 22 Part 2
The legal suit against Johns Hopkins Hospital aims to highlight the devastating impact of the alleged misdiagnosis and the subsequent actions taken by the hospital.   Maya Kowalski’s case is not just a personal tragedy but also a cautionary tale about the responsibilities of medi ... Show More
1h 8m
Aug 2025
S18E1: Inside the Idaho College Murders | Mystery and Murder: Analysis by Dr. Phil
A quiet college town shattered by horror. Dr. Phil unpacks the first hours, first clues, and first cracks in the case that gripped the nation. Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were brutally murdered in their off-campus home near the University of I ... Show More
39m 46s
Sep 2021
Introducing The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery | Unsolved South Carolina
In June 2021, Alex Murdaugh (pron. mer-dock) called 9-1-1 to report he'd found his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, dead outside their home in rural Colleton County, South Carolina. Both Maggie and Paul had been brutally shot to death.As months have passed, what began as a c ... Show More
2m 14s
Mar 2025
MURDERED: Helen Betty Osborne
<p>The discovery of 19-year-old Helen Betty Osborne’s body should have outraged the residents of The Pas, Manitoba. Yet, the truth of what happened to her, and who killed her, would remain an open secret for years. But, like all secrets, what happened that night eventually came t ... Show More
47m 26s