Thousands more patients could benefit from life saving and healing eye and tissue donations.. Now its possible its not my baby in the urn, Reh said. In an interview in 2016, she described Donor Services as a small, family business. However, on Thursday, Colorado police arrested Shannon and Staci Kent after finding a decaying corpse in a funeral home they previously operated. Bailey-Kent Funeral Home, pictured at left, is one of two funeral homes owned by Shannon Kent now under criminal investigation. 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. Funeral Home Owner Brian Barnett Faces Charges in N.Y. Probe - Law & Crime Such multipurpose operations raise ethical concerns, several funeral industry veterans said. I thought it was something that needs to be corrected," said state Senator Larry Crowder, one of the bills sponsors. Donor Services has circulated a brochure that reads: Be a hero. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The remains Hess returned to families were also not those of their loved ones. Another alleged victim said her mothers body was desecrated. Instead of paying the standard $695 cremation fee to Colorado Cremation, Hesss former cremation marketing business, Dunlap paid Hess $495 to take his body. 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. He had been dismembered. Both have become experts on the secret industry of selling body parts on a world wide market. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. did not receive a contract for funeral services, and only received the cremains after several calls to Kent, the order states. 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. A former employee has alleged misconduct regarding the disposal of the deceased at Golden Gate Funeral Home in Dallas. Colorado regulators have shut down the funeral home. Selling body parts: Colorado's secret black market industry - KMGH At Donor Services, her body parts business, Hess can generate a greater return on the dead, a different price list reviewed by Reuters showed. DENVER -- To many it is simply the unthinkable. 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. Hess continues running a dual operation. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. And it is not against the law to operate a so-called body broker firm from the same facility that houses a funeral home and crematory. Charles "Paul" Lynch Obituary (1953 - 2023) | Yuma, Colorado This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Thank you, she said before ending the call. (Google). The focus and extent of the federal probe into the Hess operation is unclear, and the FBI also declined to comment. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The charges defray the cost of picking up the deceased, she said in the 2016 interview. Thats when E.W. Kent kept giving excuses, Cavanagh said. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Colorado funeral home operators sentenced for selling body parts A woman in Colorado has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for illegally selling body parts. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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 name of the state is derived form the Spanish . Coroner and Wife Accused of Running Funeral Home From Hell In cases like Schum's, where a family did agree to donate a body part, Hess sold more than she had permission to. Like many, Hanson found out about her son Frederick during a phone call from an FBI agent. Its a profit business. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. We did not provide our messaging to be repurposed in this brochure, and are following up, said spokeswoman Erin Dolin. The lawsuit estimates the three were making $40,000 a month from the sale of body parts. State Bans Coroner Shannon Kent From Private Business After Remains A few days later, she was able to pick up the cremains, but like E.W., Cavanagh received no paperwork. Sunset Mesa Funeral Home Operators Arrested For Illegal Body Part Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Think about it, the FBI came in and raided them, and they raided them because they knew this body broker this was getting bigger and bigger and bigger, said Berg. 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. I go to sleep with the visions of him being dismembered with a power saw, said Ruthie Pettyjohn, whose sons body parts were allegedly sold. Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because when it became the 38th state, the United States turned 100 on August 1, 1876. In court on Tuesday, Hess declined to speak to the judge. . Montrose, Colorado: A former funeral home operator pleads guilty to 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. 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. Megan Hess, a former Colorado funeral home director, chopped up over 500 . The home, located at 8215 W. Summerdale Ave., was sold for just shy of $400,000 in May 2021. Body of complaints piled up: State knew of funeral home concerns long (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. Denver attorneys Mike Berg and Dave Teselle now represent more than 50 families who claim Hess and her parents victimized them. 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. Colorado Funeral Homes, funeral flowers & funeral planning The recent parade of early deaths has hit close to home. The Bailey-Kent Funeral Home was the only option given to her for cremation under a certain weight, she said. 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. 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. "No, I did not," Hancock responded. Further, the van was holding two other bodies that needed to be removed.. You know, they can't put his head back on his body, they can't put his arms and legs back on his body. Kent also operates funeral homes in Silverthorne, Idaho Springs, Fairplay and Buena Vista. felt they were too heavy to be those of a stillborn child, and submitted them for analysis. Pam Boyd/pboyd@vaildaily.com. 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. Records from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies showthis was not the first time Kent has been in the crosshairs of state regulators. 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. Instead, the media was interested in the dark history behind the town's funeral home, Sunset Mesa. 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. Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. Non-compete agreements, Customer Experience, Community Engagement. 06, 2021. Shannon and Staci Kent, 45, of Leadville were charged on Friday with attempted tampering with a deceased human body. (McGovern said no industry regulated by the Division of Professions and Occupations has regulators assigned exclusively to it.) 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. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. We were greeted at the door by her father, who told us to leave the property. MONTROSE, Colo. A Colorado funeral home is accused of victimizing families after claims that it secretly sold body parts in the hours after death. Owner of funeral home under investigation had history of violations Buyers ranged from educators and scientists to individuals in the medical industry. 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. According to theDenver Post, prosecutors reached a plea agreement with Hess this year regarding a 2020 indictment against her and her mother. FBI Raids Montrose Funeral Home Accused Of Donating - CBS News Reuters could not independently verify this figure. On her cremation marketing website, a donor could simply select from a drop-down menu, fill out a few forms, click Add to Cart, and enter a credit card number. 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. Market data provided by Factset. [wpforms id=436 title=true description=true]. Former workers told Reuters that Hess and Koch conducted unauthorized dismemberments of bodies, and a few weeks after a 2018 story was published, the FBI raided the business. When Schum hesitated, Hess said she would waive the cremation fee if Schum agreed to donate her friend's bladder to science. 2011 Tucson shooting - Wikipedia Burg and Teselles law firm is currently suing body brokers in both Colorado and Arizona. A funeral home in Crapaud, Prince Edward Island is under RCMP investigation for allegations of financial irregularities. Leaking body bags, unrefrigerated remains: Colorado funeral homes under Extra charges are assessed if a body is embalmed or a funeral director is involved. There, authorities also found dried bodily fluid on surgical equipment, the metal preparation table, and the floor. Subscribe to Funeral Director Daily did not receive a contract for funeral services, and only received the cremains after several calls to Kent, the order states. All rights reserved. The article also tells about how Sunset Mesa Funeral Home handled some services free of charge. I see his body parts floating in space and I keep trying to grab them and put him back and I can't! "Hess and Koch's conduct caused immense emotional pain for the families and next of kin.". Amid FBI investigation, state closes case on Montrose funeral home Jeffersonville funeral home under investigation after police find Former Colorado funeral home owner sentenced to 20 yrs for selling body Reuters Investigates offers several ways to securely contact our reporters. 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 eye was never returned, said Eberspacher and Dunlaps friend, Ron Mabry. 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. 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. A former Colorado funeral home owner has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on charges of fraud and selling body parts without permission. It is illegal to buy or sell organs such as hearts, kidneys and tendons for transplant. The state's Department of Regulatory Agencies. Her funeral home site listed her credentials, including a PhD in mortuary science. Records from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies showthis was not the first time Kent has been in the crosshairs of state regulators. There is even more money to be made in dissecting those bodies and selling the parts. Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Selling Body Parts A human head and spine sold for $850, while a full pelvis all the way to the toes priced out at $2,850. It is the only state in the country that does not license funeral home and. 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. Reuters identified 34 body brokers that have been active across the United States during the past five years. POCATELLO, Idaho A Pocatello funeral home under investigation by the Idaho Board of Morticians has had its licenses revoked. Nursing Home Under Investigation After Woman Declared Dead Found Breathing at Funeral Home The incident happened at the Water's Edge Rehab and Nursing Center in Port Jefferson, the. 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. Colorado does not regulate body brokers. Details uncovered in the FBI investigation were shared with her. Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. A few days later, she was able to pick up the cremains, but like E.W., Cavanagh received no paperwork. SENTINEL FILE PHOTO Sisters Layna and Janet Hutt hold photos of their father, Raymond Hutt, who died in 2016 at the age of 96. A price quote Hess sent to an Arizona medical training lab in 2016 offered torsos for $1,000 each. By: Tony Kovaleski Posted at 6:00 PM, Oct 31, 2019 Funeral home owners charged with desecrating human remains Six people were killed, including federal District Court Chief Judge John Roll; Gabe Zimmerman, one of Giffords's staffers; and a 9-year-old girl . Colorado Funeral Homes. However, there was more going on beneath the surface. Before referring questions to a lawyer, Hess spoke extensively with Reuters about her body broker company. Colorado Funeral Home / Body Broker Continues Under Investigation Jacque Hampson spent a year working as Hesss personal assistant. 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 . 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. A change of plea hearing for Koch is scheduled for July 12. Read on to see why: At a glance, the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home appeared to be a business helping locals through the loss of their loved ones. are acquisitions larger in general? Kent has not yet been arrested for the most recent incidents, which at the Leadville funeral home included authorities' discovery of an abandoned stillborn, according to the Oct. 13 summary suspension issued by Colorados Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration. Investigation into the allegations are ongoing with the Texas Funeral Services . 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. 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. Funeral-home owner gets 20 years in prison for cutting up dead bodies These illegitimate businesses are buying and selling body parts just like anything off the shelf at Walmart, added Teselle. Hess, however, charged families to donate their bodies $195, plus $300 more if relatives want cremated remains returned. Investigators discovered 31 dead bodies, some of which were in advanced stages of decomposition. Authorities are now investigating. 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. Separate from the FBI inquiry, Reuters has learned that Colorado state funeral regulators are investigating Hesss funeral home, Sunset Mesa. She says Shirley Koch came to pick up his body. Prosecutors recommended a sentence for Hess of 12 to 15 years. The legislation has support from the state's largest trade association for funeral homes, the Colorado Funeral Directors Association. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. They both plan to file complaints with the Department of Regulatory Affairs. Instead of paying the standard $695 cremation fee to . Mabry said Koch told him the glass eye couldnt be removed after Dunlaps head was severed, embalmed and shipped to researchers. It was kind of creepy.. But days went by and she couldnt reach anyone. You are not looking at the full disposition (of a body). They were arrested in 2020 and charged with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of illegal transportation of hazardous materials. Now its possible its not my baby in the urn, Reh said. 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. 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. 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. Thank you for thinking of me.. In reality, Burg added, they are just trying to get those bodies free and then they are going to chop them up themselves in parts and make money off the bodies.. . Funeral homes owned by a Colorado coroner under investigation following 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. Women who sold body parts out of their Colorado funeral home are 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. 31 decomposed bodies, cremated remains discovered during Clark - WAVE 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.