2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Such a partnership may raise ethical concerns because it creates a financial incentive for the funeral home. On Monday, the family of Ramon Lara Castillo a 63-year-old Nashville house painter who succumbed to liver cancer in October 2020 filed a federal lawsuit against former funeral director Reid Van Ness and the operators of a funeral home in Lewisburg, Tenn. Roommates and friends of Castillo paid Van Ness $1,800 to ship the body home to his . The reality of body brokers profiting from the sale of body parts has made national and international headlines following government raids in Arizona and Colorado in recent years. She said, No, no, well take care of that first thing in the morning, recalled Eberspacher. Hansons box included wires and what appear to be old batteries. GYPSUM The operating license for Kent Funeral Home in Gypsum has been summarily suspended by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies following an investigation that revealed disturbing conditions at an associated funeral home in Leadville. Its for profit and people dont realize there is a huge demand for cadavers and body parts., That demand comes from all over the world including medical schools, law enforcement agencies, the military and a variety of other industries looking to legitimately purchase bodies and body parts for credible research. Specifics of the scope of theFBI investigation are unclear. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. However, there was more going on beneath the surface. She operated a funeral home, Sunset Mesa, and a body parts entity, Donor Services, from the same building in Montrose, Colorado. After reading the states suspension order this week, two women told The Denver Post that the circumstances surrounding E.W. sound eerily familiar. The body was identified as that of 42 . You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! It was kinda creepy., It is totally unregulated, said Burg. A Colorado funeral home is accused of victimizing families after claims that it secretly sold body parts in the hours after death. POCATELLO, Idaho A Pocatello funeral home under investigation by the Idaho Board of Morticians has had its licenses revoked. The news agency had also sent written questions to Hess and her attorney about Kochs alleged handling of gold teeth. 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. The report also noted that a former employee at Sunset Mesa was troubled by Hess mother, who was responsible for embalming and dismembering the dead bodies. She showed Denver7 the container that she was given. 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. The details of the plea agreement are unknown, but a trial for Hess' mother is still on track to proceed. You are looking at how to make money.. Twenty-five of the brokers were for-profit corporations. Megan Hess, 46, pleaded guilty to fraud in July 2022 after a 2018 investigation that exposed her for selling parts of dead bodies that were brought to the funeral home for cremation. After losing his ability to conduct cremation or funeral home services in December, Kent's Silverthorne funeral parlor sat empty until this month when the new tenant, Colorado Funeral Homes . Twenty-six victims described their horror at discovering what had happened to their loved ones. The. 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. In Colorado and most other states, it's legal for funeral homes to sell items taken from corpses, including the gold found in teeth. Colorado Funeral Home / Body Broker Continues Under Investigation Hess committed crimes, prosecutors said, when she defrauded relatives of the deceased by lying about cremations and by dissecting bodies and selling them without permission. 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. Dunlap left one specific instruction: The glass eye that hed worn since a childhood accident should be removed and sent to his best friend. Body brokering is not illegal in Colorado; however, a 2020 Denver7 report noted that Hess, along with her mother, were donating bodies without the consent of the deceased's family. In 2020, authorities charged the two with mail fraud and illegal transportation of hazardous materials. Connie Hansons sons body parts were also allegedly sold. 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. To betray that help, in a way that the businesses here are alleged to have done, brings nothing but a lack of credibility to all funeral service professionals. State suspends operations of Leadville, Gypsum funeral homes Colorado Funeral Home Owners Charged With Brokering Body Parts did not receive a contract for funeral services, and only received the cremains after several calls to Kent, the order states. More Reuters investigations and long-form narratives, Got a confidential news tip? Selling body parts: Colorado's secret black market industry - KMGH The Bailey-Kent Funeral Home was the only option given to her for cremation under a certain weight, she said. The FBI hired a lab to test the cremains given to the families, and they have determined the boxes of ash contain cement, sand and other non-human particles. Funeral home owner who dismembered corpses, sold body parts sentenced The article also tells about how Sunset Mesa Funeral Home handled some services free of charge. Sunset Mesa Funeral Home Operators Arrested For Illegal Body Part Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors of Montrose handled the funeral . No federal law prohibits the buying and selling of human body parts to be used in research and education. This whole situation, oh, I thought it was part of my past.. The Lake County Sheriffs Office confirmed an active criminal investigation is underway. A Colorado funeral home is accused of victimizing families after claims that it secretly sold body parts in the hours after death. The Unaffiliated is our twice-weekly newsletter on Colorado politics and policy. 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Prior to the raid, the cost of purchasing an arm and shoulder was $600. 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. Prosecutors said she lied to more than 200 families, who received cremated ashes from bins mixed with the remains of different cadavers. A woman in Colorado has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for illegally selling body parts. Records from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies showthis was not the first time Kent has been in the crosshairs of state regulators. Instead of paying the standard $695 cremation fee to . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Colorado funeral home owner accused of stealing body parts pleads 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. . While Sunset Mesa legally is permitted to own and operate both businesses, Reuters found that there was no other active instance where a funeral home, crematory and body broker had the same owner and were in the same facility. There, authorities also found dried bodily fluid on surgical equipment, the metal preparation table, and the floor. 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. Colorado Funeral Home Caught Selling Bodies Intended For Cremation More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? The Daily Sentinel Megan Hess It was kind of creepy.. There is even more money to be made in dissecting those bodies and selling the parts. On Oct. 13, the state shut down both the Gypsum operation and . Just about any adult can run for coroner in Colorado. 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. No one would pick up the phone. After receiving the cremains, E.W. Two months later, after hearing nothing from Hess, Schum went to Sunset Mesa to retrieve her friend's ashes. Escher said Koch, who embalmed and dismembered bodies, pulled teeth from some of the corpses to extract the gold in crowns or fillings. Kent also operates funeral homes in Silverthorne, Idaho Springs, Fairplay and Buena Vista. But selling body parts such as heads, arms and spines which is what Hess did for use in research or education is not regulated by federal law. Colorado regulators have shut down 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. Megan Hess, the owner of Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, and her parents are now under investigation by the FBI. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. 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. She operated a funeral home, Sunset Mesa, and a body parts entity, Donor Services, from the same building in Montrose, Colorado. No one would pick up the phone. As a result, Peck and his funeral home were required to pay a $2,500 fine and $5,000 in investigative costs and attorney fees. Megan Hess pleads guilty, faces 20 years in prison - The Colorado Sun The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. [the FBI told me] his head was sent to so and so. Body of complaints piled up: State knew of funeral home concerns long Colorado Funeral Homes, funeral flowers & funeral planning This all began when a severely decomposed body was reported by a state health inspector. Such multipurpose operations raise ethical concerns, several funeral industry veterans said. FBI probe into Colorado funeral home that doubled as body - Fox News "Our sweet mother, they dismembered her," Erin Smith said, selling her shoulders, knees and feet for profit. With a population of about 20,000, Montrose is a community surrounded by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Colorado Ordway Funeral Homes Eaton Family Funeral Home Eaton Family Funeral Home in Ordway 202 E 3rd St Ordway, CO 81063 (719) 267-4221 Click to show location on map Zoom About Eaton Family Funeral Home We understand that losing a loved one can be a very stressful time. There are currently 350 funeral home listings for the state of Colorado and we provide all the cemetery information for the state as well. 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. Hancock is one of many family members who has learned the cremains she was given by the owners of Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose contained items and materials that were not her husband. A change of plea hearing for Koch is scheduled for July 12. MONTROSE, Colo. A Colorado funeral home is accused of victimizing families after claims that it secretly sold body parts in the hours after death. Funeral Home Operator Jailed After Selling Body Parts of 500-Plus Jacque Hampson spent a year working as Hesss personal assistant. 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. You could hear the machine going, she told Kovaleski. Finally, after a month, she got Staci Kent on the phone and laid into her, asking why she hadnt heard anything about her sons cremains. Licenses revoked for Pocatello funeral home - KTVB Source: Bodies stacked up at Jeffersonville funeral home after - WDRB Other charges against Hess will be dropped under a plea agreement, the Sentinel said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Amid FBI investigation, state closes case on Montrose funeral 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. As you likely know by now, Diamond of the famous 'Diamond and Silk' sister duo, has passed away at the young age of only 51. The remains Hess returned to families were also not those of their loved ones. "It's concerning to the court that defendant Hess refuses to assume any responsibility for her conduct.". 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. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Koch's central role was chopping up the bodies, court records show. This comes after a dozen . Heads went for $500 and $250 for a knee prices at significantly discounted rates compared to other body brokers. In Colorado, there are few regulations to catch shoddy behavior, such as illegitimate body trading, by mortuaries. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. Kent also operates funeral homes in Silverthorne, Idaho Springs, Fairplay and Buena Vista. Hess had created a nonprofit organization in 2009 called Sunset Mesa Funeral Foundation as a body-broker service doing business as Donor Services, authorities said. Sunset Mesa, like all other funeral homes in Colorado, is required by state law to have a death certificate filed with the vital records office before obtaining a disposition permit. Colorado funeral home known for history of misconduct | AP News Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Colorado regulators can now inspect funeral homes and crematories Its really an underground industry that most people dont know about, said attorney Michael Burg. Now the women wonder how many others might have had the same experience. 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. Other charges against Hess will . While operating Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado, Hess and Koch sold remains of the deceased for body broker services without family consent and gave families ashes that were. Chantal Reh, an Avon resident, went through a similar experience when she suffered a stillborn birth in August 2018. Hess and Koch also shipped bodies and body parts that tested positive for, or belonged to people who died from, infectious diseases including Hepatitis B and C, and HIV, despite certifying to buyers that the remains were disease-free, authorities said. parents are now under investigation by the FBI. But days went by and she couldnt reach anyone. The confrontation escalated when Shannon Kent allegedly called Lake County Sheriff Amy Reyes and threatened her with arrest for questioning his wifes decision not to use the body bag, prosecutors said. The startling discovery led to a further investigation of oversight in the funeral industry. In court on Tuesday, Hess declined to speak to the judge. 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. According to Reuters Sunset Mesa Funeral Home had seen their call volume increase from 59 in 2015 to 128 in 2017. The lawsuit claims the three sold torsos for $1,000, a pelvis with upper legs for $1,200. Market data provided by Factset. I just figured it was a legitimate business., When asked by Denver7 if she ever heard bodies being dismembered, Hampson said, you could hear the machine going. Asked if that machine was a saw, she said, Yes, you could hear that in the room (a back room at the funeral home).
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