Stolen Body Parts

Recent reports out of New York reveal macabre dealings with the bodies of deceased individuals.

Authorities believe [Michael Bruno’s] body and those of hundreds of other people – including famed British broadcaster Alistair Cooke – were secretly carved up in the back rooms of several funeral parlors citywide to remove human bone, skin and tendons without required permission from their families. Authorities allege the body parts were then sold for a profit.

Worse, health officials fear some of the stolen body parts were diseased, and could infect patients who received them in skin grafts, dental implants or other orthopedic procedures – a risk concealed by paperwork doctored with forged signatures and false information.

Investigation Uncovers Funeral Homes Trafficking in Stolen Body Parts, AP, Dec. 24, 2005.