Former funeral director guilty of selling dead body parts

Published

2 years ago

July 6, 2022

A Colorado woman has pleaded guilty to selling heads, arms and legs without the permission of the families

The former owner of Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, Megan Hess, ran both a funeral home and a body parts service from the same building.

Records show that instead of cremating the bodies at the request of loved ones, Hess defrauded families by selling loved ones’ body parts for mostly educational purposes.

According to government court filings, Hess targeted families who were also coping with their relatives final days.

Prosecutors say Hess also charged families up to $1,000 for cremations, which never happened.

It’s understood she also offered free cremation in exchange for body part donations.

Many grieving families reportedly received ashes from bins mixed with the remains of different dead bodies. Authorities say one client received concrete mix instead of ashes.

“Meeting with hospice on the 4th … opening the floodgates of donors… They have four or five deaths a day. Get ready!!!! … How about a deal on full embalmed spines … $950?”
Megan Hess

Hess’ mother also allegedly pulled teeth from some corpses to take the gold from their crowns or fillings.

Hess has previously plead not guilty entered the plea to the charge of fraud at a hearing before U.S. magistrate Judge Gordon Gallagher in Grand Junction.

Gallagher scheduled Hess to be sentenced in January with the prosecution calling for 12 to 15 years behind bars.

The woman’s mother, who also previously pleaded not guilty is scheduled to enter a change of plea hearing on 12 July.

Technological terror: China reveals uncanny AI romance film

Published

1 day ago

April 24, 2024

ticker NEWS

As competition intensifies in the streaming landscape, with players like Roku, Vizio, and Samsung launching their ad-supported platforms, TCL aims to carve its niche by offering compelling original content.

TCL, the renowned Chinese smart-TV manufacturer, announces its innovative use of generative artificial intelligence to produce original content for its streaming platform, TCLtvPlus.

Debuting this summer, “Next Stop Paris,” an AI-driven love story, marks the inaugural program from TCLtvPlus Studios

News

Grindr application cruises into court over privacy concerns

Published

1 day ago

April 24, 2024

ticker NEWS

Grindr faces lawsuit over alleged privacy breaches

Grindr, the popular gay dating app, is under fire in London as hundreds of users claim their private information, including HIV status, was shared without consent. The lawsuit alleges commercial use of sensitive data, sparking concern within the LGBTQ+ community. Grindr vows to defend its practices while emphasising its commitment to user privacy and compliance with data regulations.

News

The TikTok ban was just passed by the House. What could happen next?

Published

1 day ago

April 24, 2024

ticker NEWS

Washington D.C. has been under pressure to ban the popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok.

TikTok users could soon find that the popular social media service is either under new ownership or could be outright banned in the U.S.

Calls are growing louder from many lawmakers and national security hawks to ban TikTok, over fears the app could censure content, influence users, and give Americans’ personal data to Beijing.

But the Chinese tech company, ByteDance—which owns TikTok— denies the allegations.

Dave Levinthal, the Editor-in-Chief of Raw Story joins Veronica Dudo to discuss.