Two people, including the man who oversees the cadaver program at the
University of California, Los Angeles, have been arrested in connection with the
alleged theft of body parts from the school.
Henry Reid, director of the UCLA program that makes donated bodies available for
medical education and research, was arrested Saturday for investigation of grand
theft for allegedly selling corpses and body parts for profit.
Reid, 54, who was hired in 1997 to improve the school's record keeping of the
donated cadavers, was released on $20,000 bail.
On Sunday, Ernest Nelson was arrested for investigation of receiving stolen
property, according to a university statement. The school said Nelson was not a
UCLA employee. Nelson, 46, was jailed on $30,000 bail.
"The criminal
investigation is ongoing," said Roxanne Moster, a spokeswoman for UCLA Medical
Center. Moster referred all questions about Nelson to police, who declined
comment.
Moster said another employee, whom she did not identify, had also been placed on
leave. The university planned a news conference on Monday.
UCLA planned to seek felony charges against Reid, said Nancy Greenstein of the
university police department.
Former Gov. George Deukmejian agreed Friday to oversee a reform of the program,
which was one of the first in the nation when it was established in 1950.
The cadaver program receives about 175 bodies each year for medical research and
education. The program first came under scrutiny in 1993 when hazardous medical
waste was discovered inside boxes of cremated human remains.
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