Upon arriving at James Nott's Kentucky apartment with a search warrant on Tuesday, FBI agents inquired if there were any other individuals present at the residence.

"Only my dead friends," Nott replied.

According to the FBI's criminal complaint, they discovered a disturbing collection of 40 human skulls and other remains used as decorations in James Nott's home. This discovery linked him to a group of individuals allegedly engaged in the illegal buying and selling of human body parts, which also involved a Harvard Medical School morgue manager accused of stealing cadaver parts.


According to the complaint, the skulls were scattered throughout Nott's home; one had a headscarf wrapped around it, and another was discovered on the mattress where he slept. According to the FBI's affidavit, the agents also discovered spinal cords, femurs, hip bones, and a bag from the Harvard Medical School.


In relation to the body parts, Nott has not been charged with any offences. But because he is a convicted felon, he is facing a federal prosecution of possessing a handgun by a banned person.


After being discovered in possession of a detonation cord, igniting devices, timed fuses, and other items that might be used to create "a destructive device," Nott entered a guilty plea to possession of an unregistered destructive device in 2011.


CNN has reached out to Aaron Dyke, Nott's public defender, for comment but has not heard back.


It all started last summer, when the police in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, received a tip about possible human remains located at the home of a man named Jeremy Pauley, according to the complaint. Officers searched his home in Enola, Pennsylvania, and found organs and skin, among other human remains, the FBI said.


During the FBI investigation, Pauley told agents about a network of people buying and selling stolen human body parts. The investigation revealed one of those people was Cedric Lodge, who worked in a Harvard Medical School morgue, where he allegedly stole cadaver body parts to sell online, the FBI said.


Lodge was fired in May and is facing federal charges for stealing, selling and shipping the body parts, according to an indictment filed last month in US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.


Through Facebook messages, officials connected Nott to Pauley and the ring of people allegedly engaged in the illegal trade of body parts, according to the criminal complaint.


Nott used a Facebook account with the username "William Burke," where he posted human remains for sale as recently as June, and even sent Pauley images of skulls for sale last summer, according to the complaint. "William Burke was a serial killer active in Edinburgh between 1827 and 1828 along with his partner, William Hare. Burke and Hare sold their victims' bodies to Dr. Robert Knox, an influential lecturer in the Anatomy Department at the University of Edinburgh," the affidavit notes.


"I don't mind paying up a little for shop stock. Makes things look good. How much total for the couple and the last video you sent plus the spines?" Pauley wrote to Nott in one exchange, according to the complaint.


Last month, Pauley faced charges related to the interstate transport of stolen goods and conspiracy. CNN affiliate WGAL reported that Pauley intends to plead guilty to these charges. CNN has attempted to contact Pauley's attorney for a comment but has not received a response.

During the search of James Nott's residence in Mount Washington, Kentucky, officials also uncovered several weapons, including an AK-47 rifle.


"It's a shock. You just never know who your neighbor is anymore," Caroline Branum, a neighbor who lives across the street from Nott, told CNN affiliate WLKY.


Nott is being held without bail, and his arraignment is set for August 4.