colorado funeral home under investigation

Selling body parts: Colorado's secret black market industry - KMGH 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. The conflict of interest of having a side business in body parts just leads to problems. Shannon and Staci Kent, 45, of Leadville were charged on Friday with attempted tampering with a deceased human body. Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com Pictures show bodies stacked in hallways and unrefrigerated rental trucks. Hess, however, charged families to donate their bodies $195, plus $300 more if relatives want cremated remains returned. Seeing how this chapter is opening up again is incredible, its unbelievable. . In at least dozens of instances, Hess and Koch did not follow family wishes, and neither discussed nor obtained authorization for Donor Services to transfer decedents' bodies or . A Colorado funeral home is accused of victimizing families after claims that it secretly sold body parts in the hours after death. First published on Wed 6 Jul 2022 10.36 EDT. 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. On March 16, the director of the Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration sent Kent a letter of admonition after a state investigator found unembalmed, unrefrigerated bodily remains in his Gypsum funeral home more than 24 hours from the date of death. The Donor Services brochure was criticized as deceptive by two major U.S. organ donation groups after Reuters shared it with them. 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. It is a business and it is a profit business, added Burg. By: Tony Kovaleski Posted at 6:00 PM, Oct 31, 2019 I didnt believe in depression until I lost my baby, Cavanagh said. Staci Kent, however, wouldnt let them see the baby, Reh said. A former employee has alleged misconduct regarding the disposal of the deceased at Golden Gate Funeral Home in Dallas. Thank you for thinking of me.. Megan Hess, 46, pleaded guilty to fraud in July. I went through a very bad crisis losing the baby, Cavanagh said. Propel Funeral Partners makes acquisitions. It described a body broker as a company that acquires dead bodies, dissects them and sells the parts for profit to medical researchers, training organizations and other buyers.. Be an organ donor, a slogan often used by organ transplant advocates. The other nine were structured as nonprofits, including Donor Services the only broker Reuters could find that still doubles as a funeral home. Now its possible its not my baby in the urn, Reh said. ", Tina Shanon, whose mother was dismembered against her will, told the court, "I've worn many masks to cover the pain. 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. In February of 2018, Colorado regulators shut down the funeral home at the same time the FBI was investigating claims families did not receive the real cremains of their loved ones. POCATELLO, Idaho A Pocatello funeral home under investigation by the Idaho Board of Morticians has had its licenses revoked. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Twenty-six victims described their horror at discovering what had happened to their loved ones. Last August, police received a complaint that funds provided to. The brochure, provided to Reuters by Hess during the 2016 interview, continued this way: Every year, organ, eye and tissue transplants provide hope to tens of thousands of people suffering from disease, injury, trauma or blindness. Learn more about Colorado true crime stories in the gallery below. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. 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. Unfortunately, the attention wasn't focused on the town's natural beauty or tourism opportunities. 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.. Non-compete agreements, Customer Experience, Community Engagement. The Denver attorney is referring to the limited and nonexistent regulation nationwide and worldwide regarding the procurement and selling of bodies and body parts. 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. An indictment filed last week by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver alleges 43-year-old Megan Hess, of Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors and Donor Services, harvested body parts from hundreds of dead people without any authorization from their families. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Shannon and Staci Kent did not respond to interview requests from The Denver Post. This content was originally published here. We did not provide our messaging to be repurposed in this brochure, and are following up, said spokeswoman Erin Dolin. ", Funeral home remains under federal investigation. 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. Instead of paying the standard $695 cremation fee to . He covers everything from stolen art and towing to mobile homes and quirky stories that defy category. Funeral home owners charged with desecrating human remains Hoping to get answers, Denver7 visited Hess home in Montrose. 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. Contact7 Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski traveled to Montrose and talked to more than a half dozen family members now victims about what they describe as a scheme to profit from their pain. 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. Ducks, Used body bags, medical gloves and other surgical equipment with dried bodily fluid on them piled on the floor, Bodily fluids leaking out of a body bag containing an individual who had not been refrigerated, A container of animal remains leaking fluids, Several bodies in refrigeration wrapped in sheets or blankets without identifying tags or paperwork, An unmarked casket containing a stillborn infant that was abandoned, the suspension order states, Paperwork scattered several feet deep on the floor. Before he died in 2016, the 78-year-old retired contractor saved $200 on cremation by agreeing to pledge parts of his body to Donor Services. Colorado does not regulate body brokers. Could, Lake County coroner turns in resignation letter, State suspends operations of Leadville, Gypsum funeral homes, 3 BULLETS TO THE BACK: The striking silence around a police, Last Season Hunters Harvested the Most Bucks in 21 Years | Outdoor Life, Republicans are barring medical boards from punishing doctors who prescribe ivermectin: report | Salon.com, Mead High School student gets musical Make-A-Wish surprise, Bruce Cassidy Defends Tuukka Rask After Tough Showing Vs. Former Colorado funeral home owner sentenced to 20 yrs for selling body 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. Reuters has reported in a report that you can read here that the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home of Montrose, Colorado, and its associated business, Donor Services, remains under investigation by the FBI. 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The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state our community can better understand itself. Colorado funeral home owners sentenced to federal prison for selling Details uncovered in the FBI investigation were shared with her. There are no ethics there when you do that.. Bodies Found in Unlicensed Funeral Home: Police The lawsuit claims the three sold torsos for $1,000, a pelvis with upper legs for $1,200. MONTROSE, Colo. (CBS4) - Federal authorities raided a funeral home in Montrose on Tuesday, at which the owner is under investigation for a side-business donating bodies for education and. Donor Services has circulated a brochure that reads: Be a hero. According to Reuters Sunset Mesa Funeral Home had seen their call volume increase from 59 in 2015 to 128 in 2017. One ex-employee, Kari Escher, said she was especially troubled by the practices of Hesss mother, Shirley Koch, who works at the facility. State investigates 'Buried by the Bernards' funeral home - WREG.com Dunlap left one specific instruction: The glass eye that hed worn since a childhood accident should be removed and sent to his best friend. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Charles Lynch to pay them a last tribute. All they got was the urn and a death certificate no other paperwork. Officials also found the "post-cremation remains" of 16 people, according . They both plan to file complaints with the Department of Regulatory Affairs. The most expensive prices were for an upper torso that included a head and arms ($4,000) and the cost of an entire body was $5,000, according to the price list. However, there was more going on beneath the surface. The charges defray the cost of picking up the deceased, she said in the 2016 interview. Source: Bodies stacked up at Jeffersonville funeral home after - WDRB 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. 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. GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO: On allegations of fraud and illegally selling body parts, a former owner of a funeral home in Colorado was given a 20-year term in federal prison. 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 Bailey-Kent Funeral Home was the only option given to her for cremation under a certain weight, she said. Further, the van was holding two other bodies that needed to be removed.. Why their loved ones were stolen from them, and they were given back dry cement or sand and told it was loved ones ashes, said Teselle. 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. Charles "Paul" Lynch Obituary (1953 - 2023) | Yuma, Colorado 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. Other charges against Hess will . 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. 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. Colorado funeral home known for history of misconduct | AP News The NBC10 Investigators found bodies inside an unlicensed funeral home in Chester, Pennsylvania. Another alleged victim said her mothers body was desecrated. The fact that now the business is also making money from the sale of body parts if that is not being told to the family, it is unethical and probably illegal, if only as deception, said Robert Fells, general counsel of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, an industry trade group. At her funeral home, Hess charged families up to $1,000 for cremations that never occurred, prosecutors said, and she offered others free cremations in exchange for a body donation. They are distinct from the organ and tissue transplant industry, which the U.S. government closely regulates. Funeral homes are required to register with the state, but spokesman Rasizer said the regulatory affairs department is not authorized to inspect mortuaries. Each edition is filled with exclusive news, analysis and other behind-the-scenes information you wont find anywhere else. SCI 4Q Revenue and Year End Revenue lower than comparables, Funeral Director Daily, The business of Funeral Care. You know, they can't put his head back on his body, they can't put his arms and legs back on his body. Torsos are a popular specimen these days, she wrote. Some former staff members of Sunset Mesa said they never heard Hess disclose to donors that the bodies would be sold for profit. Both have become experts on the secret industry of selling body parts on a world wide market. 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. It is the only state in the country that does not license funeral home and. 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. It was kinda creepy., It is totally unregulated, said Burg. Kent operates six funeral homes in the states high country, which also include Buena Vista, Fairplay, Idaho Springs, and Silverthorne. Its really an underground industry that most people dont know about, said attorney Michael Burg. But no federal law governs the sale of cadavers or body parts for use in research or education. Colorado regulators have shut down the funeral home. 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 Bailey-Kent Funeral Home, pictured at left, is one of two funeral homes owned by Shannon Kent now under criminal investigation. Authorities also uncovered multiple refrigerated bodies which were wrapped in sheets or blankets but did not have any tags or paperwork identifying them. All rights reserved. It can't be fixed, said Hancock. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. The New York Times, a far-left outlet, admitted in a report that Trump's rollback of a rule from President Barack In court on Tuesday, Hess declined to speak to the judge. The true-crime podcast "Criminal," which covered the story in its 131st episode, reports that when Grand Junction resident Debbie Schum visited Sunset Mesa after the death of her friend in 2017, the funeral home's director, Megan Hess, told Schum that she could not provide cremation services unless Schum paid her $1,000 upfront. Colorado Funeral Home Owners Charged With Brokering Body Parts This whole situation, oh, I thought it was part of my past.. The back of the brochure featured the logo Donate Life, the national brand that promotes organ donation and is managed by Donate Life America, a nonprofit group. Updated: 8:07 PM MDT September 14, 2021. In Colorado, the states organ donation program, Donor Alliance, said Hesss marketing language could be confusing to people.. Its a community struggling to understand the stories and the accusations about what happened in the back room at Sunset Mesa. The 20-year term was the maximum allowed under law. You are looking at how to make money.. Sunset Mesas operators, Megan Hess and Shirley Koch, were indicted by a federal grand jury in March for allegedly shipping body parts all over the world against the will of family members, who found out years later that the ashes in their homes were not those of their loved ones. Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Selling Body Parts 2011 Tucson shooting - Wikipedia In mid-March, Kent received a letter of admonition" from the Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration after unembalmed, unrefrigerated remains were found in the Gypsum funeral home over 24 hours after the person had died. According to the Johnstown, N.Y. Police Department, Brian M. Barnett, 35, who owns the since-shuttered Ehle . During her speech at Diamond's funeral, her partner in crime, Silk, implied that there was foul play involved in her death and urged for an investigation. Though Koch dissected bodies in the back room at Sunset Mesa, they claimed that the body had to be sent out for harvesting, Eberspacher said. The funeral home's owners, Megan Hess, 43, and her mother . Enter your email address to join 3,177 readers who subscribe to all Funeral Director articles. The Lake County Sheriffs Office confirmed an active criminal investigation is underway. Colorado funeral home owner Megan Hess and her mother who sold body The suspension order details a 2019 instance in which an unnamed individual arranged with Kents funeral home for the cremation of their stillborn child. 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 Daily Sentinel Megan Hess Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Koch told the judge she was sorry and took responsibility for her actions. Subscribe to Funeral Director Daily In 2020, authorities charged the two with mail fraud and illegal transportation of hazardous materials. 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. This comes after a dozen . Neither addressed the issue about the teeth. Lynette "Diamond" Hardaway's Cause of Death Revealed 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.