colorado funeral home under investigation
Legal Statement. In mid-November, she wrote an email to a surgical training company saying that she could supply a human torso, according to messages reviewed by Reuters. The focus and extent of the federal probe into the Hess operation is unclear, and the FBI also declined to comment. You are looking at how to make money.. All rights reserved. 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. (REUTERS). It is a business and it is a profit business, added Burg. The. 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. 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. 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. But experts say its the underground black market that also contributes to the increased demand for body parts. Pam Boyd/pboyd@vaildaily.com. This whole situation, oh, I thought it was part of my past.. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. Why Donor Services was unable to trace Dunlaps head remains unclear. Both Hess and Koch originally had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Burg and Teselles law firm is currently suing body brokers in both Colorado and Arizona. . The funeral home's owners, Megan Hess, 43, and her mother . 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. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. [the FBI told me] his head was sent to so and so. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. A funeral home in Indiana is under investigation after allegedly falling behind on processing dead bodies for an unknown period of time, but at least a few months. The transfers were done through Sunset Mesa Funeral Foundation and Donor Services, authorities said. At the time of publication, no charges had been filed against the coroner, though Colorado has suspended the business licenses for both funeral homes. Megan Hess, the former operator of a Montrose funeral home convicted of selling body parts without family consent, was . A funeral director who also works as a body broker could have a financial incentive to sell a body for its valuable parts rather than provide an inexpensive burial, for instance. 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. The federal inquiry began several months ago, shortly after Reuters interviewed a half-dozen workers who formerly worked for Hess. . The Daily Sentinel reports that Megan Hess faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison after entering the plea Tuesday in Grand Junction. Now its possible its not my baby in the urn, Reh said. Hess continues running a dual operation. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. When Reuters reported earlier this year about the unusual twin businesses of owner Megan Hess, federal agents raided the facility and state regulators ordered the funeral home to be shut down. You know, they can't put his head back on his body, they can't put his arms and legs back on his body. 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With a population of about 20,000, Montrose is a community surrounded by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. The FBI started looking into Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors and Donor Services a few months after it was discovered that both businesses were being operated out of the same building and by the same owner, according to thereport. Donating bodies, selling the parts: Frequently asked questions. Her funeral home site listed her credentials, including a PhD in mortuary science. The Donor Services brochure was criticized as deceptive by two major U.S. organ donation groups after Reuters shared it with them. But days went by and she couldnt reach anyone. She mentioned on several occasions about how much money she would be getting per month, which blew my mind, said Jennifer Henderson, a former floral designer for Sunset Mesa. 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. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Email address: Colorado Funeral Home / Body Broker Continues Under Investigation, Acquisitions, buy-outs, creative ideas. did not receive a contract for funeral services, and only received the cremains after several calls to Kent, the order states. Body snatcher, vile, pure evil, sociopath, are the words they used when asked to describe Hess. The recent parade of early deaths has hit close to home. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. They cut him up in pieces and sent them all over the place.. There are no ethics there when you do that.. 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. 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. I went through a very bad crisis losing the baby, Cavanagh said. I see his body parts floating in space and I keep trying to grab them and put him back and I can't! 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. 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. Now the women wonder how many others might have had the same experience. . The suspension order details a 2019 instance in which an unnamed individual arranged with Kents funeral home for the cremation of their stillborn child. 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. In addition, a lawsuit has been filed by Shirley Hollenback and her daughter alleging that the remains she received purported to be the cremation ashes of her husband are somebody elses remains and not those of her husband. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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. Thats when E.W. Just about any adult can run for coroner in Colorado. Its a profit business. Feb 4, 2023, 5:26 PM SGT. Colorado does not regulate body brokers. (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. Golden Gate Funeral Home in Dallas is accused of a range of misdeeds, from not embalming or refrigerating bodies in a . Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Charles Lynch to pay them a last tribute. The probe into the coroners funeral homes started back in February, after a client complained to the Lake County Sheriffs Office about the handling of human remains. Updated: 8:07 PM MDT September 14, 2021. Propel Funeral Partners makes acquisitions. His head and his arms from his elbows to his fingers, his legs from his knees to his toes, had been removed from his body and they had been sold.. ), Windsors Newest Hot Spot is Open and Smells of Glorious Bacon [Photos], The Cheapest Home in Weld County is Selling for Less Than $90K, Local Fort Collins Photographer Wins 3rd Grammy in the Visual Arts, WATCH: This Deleted Scene From The Office Totally Calls Out Colorado, The 2023 Cheyenne Frontier Days Concert Lineup Has Been Announced, This Weeks Larimer Countys Most Wanted: Dallas Rusk, 3 Northern Colorado Districts in Top 10 for Slow Internet Access, New Life Planned for this Beloved Greeley Building, the dark history behind the town's funeral home, READ: This 1993 Steamboat Springs Murder Became One of the Nation's Most Chilling Cases. Ive had nightmares about it, said Fredericka Freddie Hancock. A few days later, she was able to pick up the cremains, but like E.W., Cavanagh received no paperwork. There is even more money to be made in dissecting those bodies and selling the parts. The Denver attorney is referring to the limited and nonexistent regulation nationwide and worldwide regarding the procurement and selling of bodies and body parts. Denver attorneys Mike Berg and Dave Teselle now represent more than 50 families who claim Hess and her parents victimized them. However, there was more going on beneath the surface. A human head and spine sold for $850, while a full pelvis all the way to the toes priced out at $2,850. Koch said she had sold a different batch a year prior, and they took the whole family to Disneyland in California on the gold that they cashed in, Escher said. They are distinct from the organ and tissue transplant industry, which the U.S. government closely regulates. She operated a funeral home, Sunset Mesa, and a body parts entity, Donor Services, from the same building in Montrose, Colorado. 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 a contrarian view? 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 . All rights reserved. Investigators discovered 31 dead bodies, some of which were in advanced stages of decomposition. Lake County coroner Shannon Kent owns both the Bailey-Kent Funeral Home in Leadville about 100 miles southeast of Denver and the Kent Funeral Home Gypsum about 133 miles west of the Mile High City, The Denver Post reported Friday. Now its possible its not my baby in the urn, Reh said. 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.. State Bans Coroner Shannon Kent From Private Business After Remains, Waste Found At Home-Based Colorado Funeral Home December 3, 2020 / 7:33 AM / CBS Colorado DALLAS The Texas Funeral Service Commission says it has opened an investigation into allegations of the mishandling of corpses at one of the most high-profile mortuaries in the state. Prior to the raid, the cost of purchasing an arm and shoulder was $600. Fells called running such a multifaceted operation a new frontier., Through the attorney, Hess declined to comment for this story and didnt address questions about the FBI probe, her business practices, and the allegations by former employees. The federal case was triggered by a 2016-2018 Reuters investigative series about the sale of body parts in the United States, a virtually unregulated industry. Hoping to get answers, Denver7 visited Hess home in Montrose. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The Green Funeral. 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. 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. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. I didnt believe in depression until I lost my baby, Cavanagh said. It is illegal to buy or sell organs such as hearts, kidneys and tendons for transplant. Its for the good of the world, and I like to help people, Hess said. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Market data provided by Factset. Legal Statement. Kent kept giving excuses, Cavanagh said. 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. 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. 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. The couple got dressed up in matching outfits and brought a special camera. I'll never be OK.". The Daily Sentinel Megan Hess "Hess and Koch used their funeral home at times to essentially steal bodies and body parts using fraudulent and forged donor forms," prosecutor Tim Neff said in a court filing. Hess is tentatively set to be sentenced in January. 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. Each edition is filled with exclusive news, analysis and other behind-the-scenes information you wont find anywhere else. 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. MONTROSE, Colorado The Federal Bureau of Investigation is interviewing former employees of a funeral home whose owner runs a side business on the same premises selling human body parts. Im not interested. But it provided an important public service, she said. Megan Hess, 46, operated the Sunset Mesa funeral home in Montrose, Colorado, alongside a body-parts entity called Donor Services, where she undertook the grisly scheme, starting in 2010. 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 . . It was kinda creepy., It is totally unregulated, said Burg. Non-compete agreements, Customer Experience, Community Engagement. Buyers ranged from educators and scientists to individuals in the medical industry. pleaded guilty to fraud in July after a . He has served as Lake County coroner since 2012 and was reelected to a four-year term in November 2018. They both plan to file complaints with the Department of Regulatory Affairs. Shannon and Staci Kent, 45, of Leadville were charged on Friday with attempted tampering with a deceased human body. Thats when E.W. There are currently 350 funeral home listings for the state of Colorado and we provide all the cemetery information for the state as well. 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.
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