Colorado funeral home operators sentenced for selling body parts without permission

[Kamaji]

Colorado funeral home operators sentenced for selling body parts without permission

Story by Phil Helsel
4 January, 2023

Two Colorado funeral home operators who sold body parts or bodies in a scheme a prosecutor called “horrific” were sentenced to prison Tuesday, officials said.

Megan Hess, 46, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and her mother, Shirley Koch, 69, was sentenced to 15 years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for District of Colorado said in a statement.

They operated Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, a city of around 20,000 in western Colorado, and stole and sold body parts or bodies between 2010 and 2018, prosecutors said.

In many cases the families were unaware, and in others they specifically declined to donate the remains of their loved ones, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Cremated remains were returned to family members and represented to be their loved ones "when, frequently, that was not the case," the statement said.

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Source:  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/colorado-funeral-home-operators-sentenced-for-selling-body-parts-without-permission/ar-AA15Z1EQ

[mountaineer]

Disgusting.

[Smokin Joe]

The question is "Who did they sell them to?"

And "For what purpose?"

Purchaser:"I believe I have the right people to help you with this. I'm assembling a team as we speak..."

[rustynail]

Parts is parts.

[Kamaji]

The question is "Who did they sell them to?"

And "For what purpose?"

Purchaser:"I believe I have the right people to help you with this. I'm assembling a team as we speak..."

"I'm assembling a team - one player at a time - as we speak"

[mountaineer]

[GtHawk]

The question is "Who did they sell them to?"

And "For what purpose?"

Purchaser:"I believe I have the right people to help you with this. I'm assembling a team as we speak..."

Maybe for medical research, many reconstructive surgeons practice a procedure on cadaver parts prior to an actual surgery decades ago my wife worked for one such surgeon and her job as office manager was to procure said cadaver parts from legitimate sources. Maybe some of you recall a big story here in Orange County, CA about one such provider who was getting such 'parts' in unscrupulous manners under the table and pocketing all the cash? He was the guy my wife contacted at the county/hospital? It was a very creepy story than too.

[Smokin Joe]

Maybe for medical research, many reconstructive surgeons practice a procedure on cadaver parts prior to an actual surgery decades ago my wife worked for one such surgeon and her job as office manager was to procure said cadaver parts from legitimate sources. Maybe some of you recall a big story here in Orange County, CA about one such provider who was getting such 'parts' in unscrupulous manners under the table and pocketing all the cash? He was the guy my wife contacted at the county/hospital? It was a very creepy story than too.

When I was an undergrad, one of my friends was pre-med, and I helped him do human anatomy dissections a couple of times. I'm not against that, as those bodies were 'donated to science' for that purpose, in someone's will. Not sure how all that works, now, with all that 'virtual learning'.

[mountaineer]

There was at least one "Law and Order" episode about something like this.

[GtHawk]

When I was an undergrad, one of my friends was pre-med, and I helped him do human anatomy dissections a couple of times. I'm not against that, as those bodies were 'donated to science' for that purpose, in someone's will. Not sure how all that works, now, with all that 'virtual learning'.

We were doing a biology lab remodel at Biola University in La Mirada, Ca when they were taking out what was left of the old teaching cadaver for cremation and brought in the new one for the next semester. I really don't know if they had to unzip and open the body bag while we were working or if if they just thought it would be amusing, but it was creeeepy!

[GtHawk]

There was at least one "Law and Order" episode about something like this.

It's a well used theme, they used a similar plot on Bones too.