Ive had nightmares about it, said Fredericka Freddie Hancock. Details uncovered in the FBI investigation were shared with her. Megan Hess, the owner of Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, and her parents are now under investigation by the FBI. The lawsuit claims the three sold torsos for $1,000, a pelvis with upper legs for $1,200. 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. Records from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies showthis was not the first time Kent has been in the crosshairs of state regulators. No such degree exists in the United States for morticians, veteran funeral directors say. The lawsuit estimates the three were making $40,000 a month from the sale of body parts. 31 decomposed bodies, cremated remains discovered during Clark - WAVE The body was identified by fingerprints as Victor Akubuo, 42, from Southern . E.W. Megan Hess, the former operator of a Montrose funeral home convicted of selling body parts without family consent, was . 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. 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. According to Jeffersonville Police Major Isaac Parker, the department began its investigation of the Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center in Jeffersonville on Friday. Feb 4, 2023, 5:26 PM SGT. I went through a very bad crisis losing the baby, Cavanagh said. Kent kept giving excuses, Cavanagh said. 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. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. Chantal Reh. I didnt believe in depression until I lost my baby, Cavanagh said. One ex-employee, Kari Escher, said she was especially troubled by the practices of Hesss mother, Shirley Koch, who works at the facility. Reuters could not independently verify this figure. But the business arrangement is highly unusual. Investigation into the allegations are ongoing with the Texas Funeral Services . The 20-year term was the maximum allowed under law. Instead, the media was interested in the dark history behind the town's funeral home, Sunset Mesa. Twenty-six victims described their horror at discovering what had happened to their loved ones. Pictures show bodies stacked in hallways and unrefrigerated rental trucks. Colorado Funeral Home / Body Broker Continues Under Investigation 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. 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. seattletimes.com: Colorado funeral home owner sentenced in body sales The Unaffiliated is our twice-weekly newsletter on Colorado politics and policy. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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 Shannon and Staci Kent did not respond to interview requests from The Denver Post. Suppliers of transplant tissue must obtain federal recognition and operate as charities. It is also the only state that doesnt license funeral directors. Its not something that can be fixed., Hancock was notified by the FBI that her husbands body parts had been sold without her consent. 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. Officials also found the "post-cremation remains" of 16 people, according . pleaded guilty to fraud in July after a . A Colorado funeral home is accused of victimizing families after claims that it secretly sold body parts in the hours after death. 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. Koch's central role was chopping up the bodies, court records show. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. Now its possible its not my baby in the urn, Reh said. Another alleged victim said her mothers body was desecrated. After a reporter asked questions about the websiteand her background, Hess removed the Add to Cart donation pages from her cremation website and cut the mention of the mortuary science degree from her online biography. A price quote Hess sent to an Arizona medical training lab in 2016 offered torsos for $1,000 each. Prosecutors recommended a sentence for Hess of 12 to 15 years. The startling discovery led to a further investigation of oversight in the funeral industry. Emmanuel Macron shared his vision of a renewed partnership with Africa in which it stands equal with France, as he concluded a tour where he has sought to dispel France's image as an arrogant former colonial power whilst bidding for future influence. The next year,. Funeral homes owned by a Colorado coroner under investigation following 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. In cases like Schum's, where a family did agree to donate a body part, Hess sold more than she had permission to. It is a business and it is a profit business, added Burg. In 2020, authorities charged the two with mail fraud and illegal transportation of hazardous materials. At Donor Services, her body parts business, Hess can generate a greater return on the dead, a different price list reviewed by Reuters showed. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. 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. . She showed me her collection of gold teeth one day, said Escher, who helped manage a former cremation-marketing business owned by Hess. Fo In Colorado and most other states, it also is legal for funeral homes to sell items recovered from dead bodies, such as gold dental work. florida medical examiner case search - aboutray16-eiga.com E.W. They cut him up in pieces and sent them all over the place.. Funeral homes are required to register with the state, but spokesman Rasizer said the regulatory affairs department is not authorized to inspect mortuaries. Authorities are now investigating. But experts say its the underground black market that also contributes to the increased demand for body parts. Colorado funeral home owners sentenced to federal prison for selling "No, I did not," Hancock responded. Thats when E.W. Colorado funeral home operators sentenced for selling body parts The Bailey-Kent Funeral Home was the only option given to her for cremation under a certain weight, she said. He would not discuss the nature of those complaints or any action it may be taking. Hess' mother, Shirley Koch, has also been indicted. 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. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 'Tragic' cases prompt bill making it easier to inspect Colorado funeral First published on Wed 6 Jul 2022 10.36 EDT. I said I dont want to hear anymore.. Downard Funeral Home Under Investigation, ISU Involved There are many events that have unfolded over the past couple weeks involving Downard Funeral Home, some including Idaho State University (ISU). ), 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. Reached by phone at Sunset Mesa, Koch said she did not wish to talk with a Reuters reporter. You could hear the machine going, she told Kovaleski. Staci Kent, however, wouldnt let them see the baby, Reh said. In Colorado, the states organ donation program, Donor Alliance, said Hesss marketing language could be confusing to people.. She operated a funeral home, Sunset Mesa, and a body parts entity, Donor Services, from the same building in Montrose, Colorado. The state's Department of Regulatory Agencies. A few days later, she was able to pick up the cremains, but like E.W., Cavanagh received no paperwork. There are no ethics there when you do that. Jacque Hampson spent a year working as Hesss personal assistant. What You Need To Know. 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. Body brokers like Donor Services are also known as non-transplant tissue banks. The news agency had also sent written questions to Hess and her attorney about Kochs alleged handling of gold teeth. 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. 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. The operators of a Colorado funeral home suspected of running a side business selling body parts without consent have been indicted on fraud and illegally transporting diseased cadavers.