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2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The conflict of interest of having a side business in body parts just leads to problems,Steve Palmer, a funeral director in Cottonwood, Ariz., and former member of the policy board at the National Funeral Directors Association, said. The body was identified by fingerprints as Victor Akubuo, 42, from Southern . The charges defray the cost of picking up the deceased, she said in the 2016 interview. Connie Hansons sons body parts were also allegedly sold. The suspension order details a 2019 instance in which an unnamed individual arranged with Kents funeral home for the cremation of their stillborn child. There is also evidence of Donor Services shipping at least 26 boxes containing body parts to various parts of the world in 2016 according to evidence that has been recovered. Megan Hess faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison after entering the plea Tuesday in Grand Junction, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Members of the FBI, along with Montrose law enforcement investigate the Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors and Donor Services building Tuesday morning, February 6, 2018. No one would pick up the phone. The legislation has support from the state's largest trade association for funeral homes, the Colorado Funeral Directors Association. Jan 3 (Reuters) - A former Colorado funeral home owner was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday for defrauding relatives of the dead by dissecting 560 corpses and selling body parts without permission. Teselle said, Whats shocking to me is that theres not an outcry for there to be more legislation, theres not an outcry for the government to regulate and license these people.. Each edition is filled with exclusive news, analysis and other behind-the-scenes information you wont find anywhere else. More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? (William Woody, Special to the Colorado Sun), Lawmakers targeting hospital facility fees, (720) 263-2338 Call, text, Signal or WhatsApp, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. The article also tells about how Sunset Mesa Funeral Home handled some services free of charge. A human head and spine sold for $850, while a full pelvis all the way to the toes priced out at $2,850. POCATELLO, Idaho Police in Pocatello are investigating a local funeral home after they said a state health inspector contacted them about the business and a badly decomposed body was found. Weeks passed before Hess told him that Donor Services couldnt retrieve the glass eye because the company couldnt locate the researcher who received Dunlaps head, Mabry said. A grand jury indictment said that from 2010 through 2018, Hess and Koch offered to cremate bodies and provide the remains to families at a cost of $1,000 or more, but many of the cremations never occurred. Chantal Reh, an Avon resident, went through a similar experience when she suffered a stillborn birth in August 2018. Both Reh and Cavanagh said they want to get the ashes analyzed at the University of Colorado to see if they actually belong to their babies. Jan 3 (Reuters) - A former Colorado funeral home owner was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday for defrauding relatives of the dead by dissecting 560 corpses and selling body. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Arnold Roger Tesnow (Colorado Springs, Colorado), born in Worth, Illinois, who passed away on February 25, 2023 at the age of 78. On March 17, the unsealed indictment revealed that this donor services business would harvest the human remains and then sell them, illegally and without the families' knowledge. Escher said Koch, who embalmed and dismembered bodies, pulled teeth from some of the corpses to extract the gold in crowns or fillings. Hess runs Sunset Mesa, a funeral home, and Donor Services, a body broker operation from the same building in Montrose. A A A Colorado-based funeral home director has been sentenced to 20 years in prison stemming from a litany of charges including fraud and illegally selling the body parts or bodies of approximately 500 individuals whose families did not consent to that practice. She said that one month she got about $40,000 from selling donated bodies. His two shoulders went somewhere else. Authorities also uncovered multiple refrigerated bodies which were wrapped in sheets or blankets but did not have any tags or paperwork identifying them. On July 2, Jeffersonville Police officials announced dozens of bodies were found decomposing inside a funeral home in the Southern Indiana city, just across the river from Louisville. Prior to the raid, the cost of purchasing an arm and shoulder was $600. DENVER, Colorado - A former Colorado funeral home owner was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday for defrauding relatives of the dead by dissecting 560 . Dunlap left one specific instruction: The glass eye that hed worn since a childhood accident should be removed and sent to his best friend. Heads went for $500 and $250 for a knee prices at significantly discounted rates compared to other body brokers. But the business arrangement is highly unusual. She said, No, no, well take care of that first thing in the morning, recalled Eberspacher. When Schum hesitated, Hess said she would waive the cremation fee if Schum agreed to donate her friend's bladder to science. The recent parade of early deaths has hit close to home. In another call two months later, Staci Kent responded to a death scene without a body bag, the indictment states, which led to an argument with law enforcement. The focus and extent of the federal probe into the Hess operation is unclear, and the FBI also declined to comment. Hes already facing charges of official misconduct and perjury stemming from allegations last year that he sent his wife Staci to multiple death scenes even though she wasnt authorized to serve as a deputy coroner. Now its possible its not my baby in the urn, Reh said. According to the Johnstown, N.Y. Police Department, Brian M. Barnett, 35, who owns the since-shuttered Ehle . Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. A Colorado funeral home is under federal investigation over accusations it doubledas a body broker firm, buying and selling human body parts, aReuters special report revealedTuesday. Two Colorado funeral homes are under criminal investigation after authorities found a unrefrigerated body and learned that at least one family had received a stillborns cremains mixed with portions of adult remains as well as metal fragments. A former Colorado funeral home operator has pleaded guilty to stealing and then selling hundreds of human bodies or body parts to people who were buying the remains for scientific, medical or . Details of Shannon Kents operations come on the heels of a Montrose funeral home that made international headlines in 2018 after an FBI raid and subsequent two-year investigation. I thought it was something that needs to be corrected," said state Senator Larry Crowder, one of the bills sponsors. This compassionate help is the essence of what we do. These illegitimate businesses are buying and selling body parts just like anything off the shelf at Walmart, added Teselle. A price list uncovered during an ongoing lawsuit against an Arizona body broker provides insight into the value of body parts and the profits that can be produced. . The Unaffiliated is our twice-weekly newsletter on Colorado politics and policy. Ive had nightmares about it, said Fredericka Freddie Hancock. You could hear the machine going, she told Kovaleski. An Upstate New York funeral home proprietor is facing imminent criminal charges for allegedly keeping dead human bodies in "advanced states of decomposition" in his business and its detached garage, local officials announced Friday. Such a partnership may raise ethical concerns because it creates a financial incentive for the funeral home. At the nursing home, Eberspacher said she reminded Koch that the glass eye was supposed to be returned and suggested it be popped out there. The investigation of Kents funeral homes began in February after the sheriffs office received a complaint by a client regarding the handling of human remains. In 2018, Schum got a call from FBI Special Agent John Busch, who told her that Sunset Mesa had sold not just her friend's body, but many others. I didnt believe in depression until I lost my baby, Cavanagh said. In Colorado and most other states, it's legal for funeral homes to sell items taken from corpses, including the gold found in teeth. Kent is already facing charges of perjury and official misconduct for sending wife Staci Kent, who is not authorized to act as a deputy coroner, to death scenes on at least three occasions, according to a September 2019 grand jury indictment. The conflict of interest of having a side business in body parts just leads to problems, said Steve Palmer, a funeral director in Cottonwood, Arizona, and former member of the policy board at the National Funeral Directors Association. The indictment accuses Kent of allowing his wife to go out to death scenes as a deputy coroner, even though she took no oath and an appointment had not been filed with the county clerk, as required by law. Separate from the FBI inquiry, Reuters has learned that Colorado state funeral regulators are investigating Hess's funeral home, Sunset Mesa. Updated: 8:07 PM MDT September 14, 2021. On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. In February 2018, Lina Cavanagh lost her baby at an advanced stage of pregnancy a loss that took its toll on her, both physically and emotionally. Like many, Hanson found out about her son Frederick during a phone call from an FBI agent. A Medical Examiner can often discover hidden evidence of injury to explain a sudden death, or can document natural diseases to show that no foul play was involved in the death. POCATELLO, Idaho A Pocatello funeral home under investigation by the Idaho Board of Morticians has had its licenses revoked. It is a business and it is a profit business, added Burg. Funeral homes in Leadville and Gypsum are under criminal investigation after authorities this month found an unrefrigerated body, bags of unlabeled cremains, an abandoned stillborn infant and at least one instance in which a family received cremains for their stillborn child mixed with bits of adult body parts and metal fragments. The states Department of Regulatory Agencies said it has nine open complaints about Sunset Mesa higher than average for funeral homes in the state, said spokesman Lee Rasizer. Reuters identified 34 body brokers that have been active across the United States during the past five years. Legal Statement. Hess, 45, and her mother, Shirley Koch, operated the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose. After receiving the cremains, E.W. Golden Gate's owner denies all allegations. The Justice Department did not respond to Fox News' request for comment. ", Funeral home remains under federal investigation. In another call two months later, Staci Kent responded to a death scene without a body bag, the indictment states, which led to an argument with law enforcement. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 4th 2023 at 10:30 AM at the First Church of the Nazarene (505 E Beatty Ave, Yuma, CO 80759). Fo Funeral home remains under federal investigation A woman is among more than five dozen family members currently suing the family that operated the now shut-down Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, after finding out her husband's body parts had been sold without her consent. Why Donor Services was unable to trace Dunlaps head remains unclear. Ive been violated, said Alena Holloman. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. (REUTERS). Funeral homes in Leadville and Gypsum are under criminal investigation after authorities this month found an unrefrigerated body, bags of unlabeled cremains, an abandoned stillborn infant and at least one instance in which a family received cremains for their stillborn child mixed with bits of adult body parts and metal fragments. Im not interested. She operated a funeral home, Sunset Mesa, and a body parts entity, Donor Services, from the same building in Montrose, Colorado. . They cut him up in pieces and sent them all over the place.. You know, they can't put his head back on his body, they can't put his arms and legs back on his body. She showed Denver7 the container that she was given. The Colorado Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration has no employees dedicated solely to it and an annual budget of less than $85,000. The surgical-training companies and other firms which bought the arms, legs, heads and torsos from Hess did not know they had been fraudulently obtained, prosecutors said. That means almost anyone, regardless of expertise, can dissect and sell human remains. The allegations of offering free services and then selling body parts without the knowledge of the client family is beyond my scope of thinking as to what funeral directors should be doing. Twenty-six victims described their horror at discovering what had happened to their loved ones. Before referring questions to a lawyer, Hess spoke extensively with Reuters about her body broker company. An agent with the FBI has interviewed at least four former employees who worked for funeral director and body broker Megan Hess, seeking information about how she operates her businesses, the former workers told Reuters. This content was originally published here. The startling discovery led to a further investigation of oversight in the funeral industry. On at least three occasions, Staci Kent allegedly responded to calls from law enforcement requesting a coroner at a death scene, according to the indictment. Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because when it became the 38th state, the United States turned 100 on August 1, 1876. But no federal law governs the sale of cadavers or body parts for use in research or education. "Our sweet mother, they dismembered her," Erin Smith said, selling her shoulders, knees and feet for profit. [the FBI told me] his head was sent to so and so. Officials also found the "post-cremation remains" of 16 people, according . In one instance, on March 10, 2019, Staci Kent was significantly delayed to the scene because the van she was using to pick up the body had a dead battery, bald tires and was buried in snow, prosecutors alleged. Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. E.W. Instead of paying the standard $695 cremation fee to Colorado Cremation, Hesss former cremation marketing business, Dunlap paid Hess $495 to take his body. A state investigation by the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance now focuses on a Memphis funeral home that's also the focus of a Netflix reality show. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. found out the cremains contained ashes from an infant, but also long bone fragments of an older/larger adult individual and metal, according to the suspension order. A Colorado funeral home operator accused of illegally selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes has been sentenced to 20 years in prison By The Associated Press January 4, 2023, 12:16 AM Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. Thank you, she said before ending the call. After Mabry threatened to sue Hess for losing the eye, he said Hess wrote him a check: $500, a refund of the money Dunlap had paid to donate plus $5. A body bag was found to be leaking bodily fluids along with a container of animal remains which was also leaking fluids. In court on Tuesday, Hess declined to speak to the judge. Further, the van was holding two other bodies that needed to be removed.. According to High Country News, Hess was running the funeral home in conjunction with a non-profit called Donor Services Inc., through which she sold "donated" body parts to companies a practice referred to as body brokering. 06, 2021. When Mabry and Eberspacher went to Sunset Mesa the morning after Dunlap died, Hess and Koch said they could not locate the eye, Eberspacher said. You are not looking at the full disposition (of a body). Such multipurpose operations raise ethical concerns, several funeral industry veterans said. A spokeswoman for Donate LifeAmerica said in an email that Hesss firm is not a federally designated organ procurement organization and has no permission to use the Donate Life brand. She operated a funeral home, Sunset Mesa, and a body parts entity, Donor Services, from the same building in Montrose, Colorado. The. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Charles Lynch to pay them a last tribute. Its really an underground industry that most people dont know about, said attorney Michael Burg. I said I dont want to hear anymore.. Did you ever consent to have this family mutilate your husbands body? asked Denver7. [wpforms id=436 title=true description=true]. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It is also the only state that doesnt license funeral directors. The Lake County Sheriffs Office confirmed an active criminal investigation is underway. This is a way we can eliminate or alleviate the black market on body parts, Crowder added. GRAND JUNCTION A Colorado funeral home operator accused of illegally selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes has pleaded guilty to mail fraud in federal court. But it provided an important public service, she said. As she mourned the loss of her son, Cavanagh was referred to the Kent Funeral Home in Gypsum to do the cremation. Its not something that can be fixed., Hancock was notified by the FBI that her husbands body parts had been sold without her consent. As a matter of fact, the FBI has set up a hot line and e-mail address for potential victims of the businesses to contact with information. The lawsuit claims the three sold torsos for $1,000, a pelvis with upper legs for $1,200. On Oct. 2, the Lake and Eagle county sheriffs departments executed a search warrant at the Bailey-Kent Funeral Home in Leadville, where deputies encountered a strong odor of decomposition, according to an Oct. 13 summary suspension issued by the states Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration, before finding: In addition to the Leadville funeral home, the state issued suspension orders for the Kent Funeral Home Gypsum. A Colorado funeral home is under federal investigation over accusations it doubled as a body broker firm, buying and selling human body parts, a Reuters special report revealed Tuesday. Instead of paying the standard $695 cremation fee to . Peck was given another six months of probation. NBC10 . Hess made donating a body online easy. They were affiliated with her funeral business. On dozens of occasions, Hess and Koch transferred bodies or body parts to third parties for research without families knowledge, according to the U.S. Justice Department. GRAND JUNCTION A Colorado funeral home operator accused of illegally selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes has pleaded guilty to mail fraud in federal court. No federal law prohibits the buying and selling of human body parts to be used in research and education. The suspension order details a 2019 instance in which an unnamed individual arranged with Kents funeral home for the cremation of their stillborn child. She was sold, embalmed and shipped out within just a few hours of her death, said Holloman. The Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center is under investigation by Jeffersonville Police Detective Division after 31 deceased individuals and the post-cremated remains of 16 individuals. DENVER -- To many it is simply the unthinkable. When asked if it contained her husbands cremains, she said, I dont know.. In February 2018, Lina Cavanagh lost her baby at an advanced stage of pregnancy a loss that took its toll on her, both physically and emotionally. Now the women wonder how many others might have had the same experience. Thats when E.W. All rights reserved. Megan Hess, the owner of Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, and her parents are now under investigation by the FBI. On Oct. 2, the Lake and Eagle county sheriffs departments executed a search warrant at the Bailey-Kent Funeral Home in Leadville, where deputies encountered a strong odor of decomposition, according to an Oct. 13 summary suspension issued by the states Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration, before finding: In addition to the Leadville funeral home, the state issued suspension orders for the Kent Funeral Home Gypsum. It is the only state in the country that does not license funeral home and. Some of those family members are now questioning if the services were held free of charge while Donor Services sent some of the remains (body parts) to clients for payments without the knowledge and consent of family members. They are struggling with claims she created a product with a power saw and angry that she ultimately profited from the sale of arms, heads legs, torsos even whole bodies. The ex-employee said that she witnessed a collection of gold teeth that Hess mother allegedly extracted from the corpses fillings or crowns and that the familycashed in on the gold to pay for a trip to Disneyland in California. It was kind of creepy.. Subscribe today to see what all the buzz is about. First published on Wed 6 Jul 2022 10.36 EDT. We did not provide our messaging to be repurposed in this brochure, and are following up, said spokeswoman Erin Dolin. Shannon and Staci Kent, 45, of Leadville were charged on Friday with attempted tampering with a deceased human body. I'll never be OK.". In Colorado, the states organ donation program, Donor Alliance, said Hesss marketing language could be confusing to people.. This all began when a severely decomposed body was reported by a state health inspector. The judge ordered that Hess and Koch be sent to prison immediately. Colorado regulators can now inspect funeral homes and crematories without owners' permission The state has long had some of the laxest laws in the nation surrounding funeral homes Joe. did not receive a contract for funeral services, and only received the cremains after several calls to Kent, the order states. One of Hesss donors was Rex Dunlap, a frugal Coloradan battling brain cancer. They both plan to file complaints with the Department of Regulatory Affairs. He has served as Lake County coroner since 2012 and was reelected to a four-year term in November 2018. Investigators discovered 31 dead bodies, some of which were in advanced stages of decomposition. Torsos are a popular specimen these days, she wrote. Seeing how this chapter is opening up again is incredible, its unbelievable. Kent has not been arrested in this latest incident and no charges have been filed, though the two funeral homes business licenses have been suspended by the state. Kent also still faces second-degree official misconduct charges stemming from a September 2019 grand jury indictment in the Fifth Judicial District. Funeral homes in Leadville and Gypsum are under criminal investigation after authorities this month found an unrefrigerated body, bags of unlabeled cremains, an abandoned stillborn infant and at least one instance in which a family received cremains for their stillborn child mixed with bits of adult body parts and metal fragments.