Colorado funeral home operators arrested, suspected of selling body parts illegally

An unsettling case out of Colorado resulted in two arrests, funeral home operators are accused of illegally selling body parts.

United States Attorney Jason Dunn announced the arrests on Tuesday tied to Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose.

The United States Department of Justice shared the disturbing details from a recently unsealed grand jury indictment. The indictment was from 2010 to 2018.

The indictment states the operators of the funeral home would offer up burial and cremation services, charging $1,000 or more. Many of those cremations never occurred, according to authorities. The funeral home was operated by 43-year-old Megan Hess and her mother 66-year-old Shirley Koch.

"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 body parts to third parties," the Department of Justice wrote in a release. "In the few instances where families agreed to donation, Hess and Koch sold the remains of those decedents beyond what was authorized by the family, which was often limited to small tissue samples, tumors, or portions of skin. Hess and Koch also delivered cremains to families with the representation that the remains were that of the deceased when, frequently, that was not the case."

Authorities believe the pair would ship bodies and body parts that tested positive for diseases like HIV, after reportedly certifying to buyers that the remains were disease-free. The shipments occurred through mail or commercial air flights, a process that is in violation of the Department of Transportation when it comes to moving hazardous materials.

Both defendants have been charged with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of illegal transportation of hazardous materials. If convicted of mail fraud, each defendant faces up to 20 years in federal prison, per count. If convicted of transportation of hazardous materials, each defendant faces up to 5 years in federal prison, per count. They each also face up to a $250,000 fine, per count.

“The defendants are charged with committing a blatant fraud on many, many victims. This betrays a fundamental trust during one of the worst times in a person’s life – having to make arrangements for a deceased loved one,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “It is hard to imagine the pain and worry of those who used Sunset Mesa and not knowing what happened to their loved ones’ remains.”