dead bodies

Mother-Daughter Team Up to Sell Dead Infectious Bodies, Strangely Only Charged With Mail Fraud and Hazardous Materials

When a loved one passes away, it’s a hard time for all involved. Obviously, the loss itself is devastating. But when you add in all of the stress that comes with funerals, burials, and last wills and testaments, death is stressful and, in many cases, you have to rely on the kindness of strangers to help guide you through the process.

That’s why this story from Colorado is so unnerving. US News reports that the owners of Sunset Mesa Funeral Home were arrested by the FBI this week for selling the body parts of their, um, deceased clientele. Megan Hess, 43, and her mother Shirley Koch, 66, are accused of selling dismembered body parts, or even whole bodies to various buyers. They did so without permission from the family of the deceased (duh) and, in some cases, wouldn’t even give families the actual remains. Federal authorities stated that in one instance, the two women sent concrete instead of ashes. Dick move, ladies. Making matters worse is the fact that the bodies and parts these two women were selling were infected with HIV and hepatitis. So they did, like, everything wrong in this case and this is how horror movies are made.

Surprisingly, the two have only been charged with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of illegal transportation of hazardous materials, because did you know it’s not illegal to sell people’s body parts! It feels like there should be a law against that but, alas, mail fraud it is. The point of this story is to hopefully remind you to do background checks on your preferred funeral parlor, because you just never can tell if the body in the casket is actually that of your loved one.

Cover Photo: Jeffrey Coolidge (Getty Images)

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