A funeral home in Crapaud, Prince Edward Island is under RCMP investigation for allegations of financial irregularities. Connie Hansons sons body parts were also allegedly sold. High Country News reports that, duringthe initial investigation, the FBI tested 128 samples of remains tied to Sunset Mesa. 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. Reuters could find no other operation active in the United States that houses a funeral home, crematory and body broker in the same facility and under the same ownership. Funeral homes owned by a Colorado coroner under investigation following Montrose, Colorado: A former funeral home operator pleads guilty to 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. 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. You are not looking at the full disposition (of a body). 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 . Kent also still faces second-degree official misconduct charges stemming from a September 2019 grand jury indictment in the Fifth Judicial District. Hoping to get answers, Denver7 visited Hess home in Montrose. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Colorado Funeral Home / Body Broker Continues Under Investigation Pictures show bodies stacked in hallways and unrefrigerated rental trucks. 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. Two months later, after hearing nothing from Hess, Schum went to Sunset Mesa to retrieve her friend's ashes. Seeing how this chapter is opening up again is incredible, its unbelievable. After receiving the cremains, E.W. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Arnold Roger Tesnow (Colorado Springs, Colorado), born in Worth, Illinois, who passed away on February 25, 2023 at the age of 78. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Arnold Roger Tesnow Obituary (1944 - 2023) | Colorado Springs, Colorado Funeral home owners charged with desecrating human remains More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? Hess' mother, Shirley Koch, has also been indicted. Staci Kent arrived to one of those death scenes without a body bag, which spurred an argument with authorities, the indictment notes. Pam Boyd/pboyd@vaildaily.com. Each edition is filled with exclusive news, analysis and other behind-the-scenes information you wont find anywhere else. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Her 69-year-old mother, Shirley Koch, also pleaded guilty to fraud and was sentenced to 15 years. In 2009, Hess also created a nonprofit called Sunset Mesa Funeral Foundation, d/b/a Donor Services, a body broker service operated out of the same location as SMFD. Colorado regulators shut down the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in 2018. Downard Funeral Home Under Investigation, ISU Involved I see his body parts floating in space and I keep trying to grab them and put him back and I can't! Megan Hess, 46, pleaded guilty to fraud in July. On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. 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. Hansons box included wires and what appear to be old batteries. Its a community struggling to understand the stories and the accusations about what happened in the back room at Sunset Mesa. PUBLISHED 8:21 PM CT Apr. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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. . Kent operates six funeral homes in the states high country, which also include Buena Vista, Fairplay, Idaho Springs, and Silverthorne. pleaded guilty to fraud in July after a . Forty-fifth President and leading 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump has been exonerated of false claims from the radical left and the Biden administration that Trump was responsible for the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, due to a rollback. After reading the states suspension order this week, two women told The Denver Post that the circumstances surrounding E.W. sound eerily familiar. But the business arrangement is highly unusual. 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. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. It is a business and it is a profit business, added Burg. The eye was never returned, said Eberspacher and Dunlaps friend, Ron Mabry. 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. Feb 4, 2023, 5:26 PM SGT. What You Need To Know. The owners of that funeral home are facing charges of desecrating human remains more than four months after investigators found the body, which had been stored in a non-refrigerated room for years. some timely learning opportunities for our readers, Dont forget Low-tech to build your brand. Both Hess and Koch originally had pleaded not guilty to the charges. A Colorado funeral home is accused of victimizing families after claims that it secretly sold body parts in the hours after death. The NBC10 Investigators found bodies inside an unlicensed funeral home in Chester, Pennsylvania. Do You Remember the Dark History of This Colorado Funeral Home? Two Colorado funeral homes are under criminal investigation after authorities found a unrefrigerated body and learned that at least one family had received a stillborn's cremains mixed. A A A Colorado-based funeral home director has been sentenced to 20 years in prison stemming from a litany of charges including fraud and illegally selling the body parts or bodies of approximately 500 individuals whose families did not consent to that practice. A price quote Hess sent to an Arizona medical training lab in 2016 offered torsos for $1,000 each. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Funeral homes owned by a Colorado coroner under, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Get to know all 17 Denver mayor candidates , Funeral homes owned by a Colorado coroner under investigation following discovery of unrefrigerated body, unlabeled cremains, Owners of Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors indicted for illegally selling human body parts, Former Montrose funeral home director accused of selling body parts loses state insurance license, This really has shattered me: Betrayal, anger, grief haunt victims of Colorado funeral home that sold loved ones body parts without permission, Denver weather: Strong winds and low humidity will elevate fire concerns Sunday, Vehicle owners can register for car theft deterrent program DenverTrack, Data breach of DPS computer servers affects all district employees, officials say, Colorado psychologists gain authority to prescribe mental health medication, Colorado property owners to face astronomical tax increases next year, After School Satan Club launching first Colorado chapter, but organizer promises "we are not devil worshippers", PHOTOS: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band play Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado landlords say eviction-protection proposal could make dropping problem renters too hard, No more greasy pizza boxes, paper towels or takeout containers in Front Range compost bins come April 1, 5 can't-miss menus for Denver Restaurant Week, After teen's death, Denver East High students walk out to advocate for gun legislation, Boulder house where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Metro Denver housing market crosses firmly into negative territory in February, Kiszla: With Brendan Rodgers down and out, Kris Bryant could become $182 million face of worst team in Rockies history, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information, 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. Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Selling Body Parts The Lake County Sheriffs Office confirmed an active criminal investigation is underway. Instead, the media was interested in the dark history behind the town's funeral home, Sunset Mesa. The news agency had also sent written questions to Hess and her attorney about Kochs alleged handling of gold teeth. "Hess and Koch's conduct caused immense emotional pain for the families and next of kin.". 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Staci Kent, however, wouldnt let them see the baby, Reh said. But it provided an important public service, she said. 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. All they got was the urn and a death certificate no other paperwork. Amid FBI investigation, state closes case on Montrose funeral home 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. ", Tina Shanon, whose mother was dismembered against her will, told the court, "I've worn many masks to cover the pain. "This is the most emotionally draining. Kent is already facing charges of perjury and official misconduct for sending wife Staci Kent, who is not authorized to act as a deputy coroner, to death scenes on at least three occasions, according to a September 2019 grand jury indictment. and Cavanagh, Reh had an immensely difficult time reaching the Kents, the phone ringing unanswered for weeks. Suppliers of transplant tissue must obtain federal recognition and operate as charities. 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. With a population of about 20,000, Montrose is a community surrounded by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. 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 couple got dressed up in matching outfits and brought a special camera. POCATELLO, Idaho Police in Pocatello are investigating a local funeral home after they said a state health inspector contacted them about the business and a badly decomposed body was found. Colorado Funeral Homes. Selling body parts: Colorado's secret black market industry - KMGH The Donor Services brochure was criticized as deceptive by two major U.S. organ donation groups after Reuters shared it with them. After contacting Hess in December about the content of the brochure, Dolin said Hess told the organ transplant group that the brochure in question was old and has not been used for some time.. We did not provide our messaging to be repurposed in this brochure, and are following up, said spokeswoman Erin Dolin. Golden Gate's owner denies all allegations. Holloman now deals with the guilt of knowing details of what happened to her moms body. Separate from the FBI inquiry, Reuters has learned that Colorado state funeral regulators are investigating Hess's funeral home, Sunset Mesa. She signed a contract with a Montrose funeral home to have his body cremated. Authorities also uncovered multiple refrigerated bodies which were wrapped in sheets or blankets but did not have any tags or paperwork identifying them. 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. 'None of this happened the way you think it did' - High Country News Email address: Colorado Funeral Home / Body Broker Continues Under Investigation, Acquisitions, buy-outs, creative ideas. Her revised online biography cited her high school degree and a love of veterinary medicine.. She said, No, no, well take care of that first thing in the morning, recalled Eberspacher. 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. Shannon and Staci Kent did not respond to interview requests from The Denver Post. Hiring funeral directors: Do you look for IQ or EQ? Legal Statement. Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. 2011 Tucson shooting - Wikipedia Its not something that can be fixed., Hancock was notified by the FBI that her husbands body parts had been sold without her consent. 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 . 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. The lawsuit estimates the three were making $40,000 a month from the sale of body parts. Body snatcher, vile, pure evil, sociopath, are the words they used when asked to describe Hess. 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 funeral home known for history of misconduct | AP News