This article is part of Dealing the Dead, a series exploring the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research.
The revelation that a medical school in Texas routinely dissected unclaimed bodies and loaned them to commercial medical device companies for training and research sparked swift and widespread reaction.
An NBC News investigation into the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center led to changes even before the first article was published, with the center suspending its body donation program and removing the staff leading it in response to the reporter’s findings. announced that he would be fired. Medical technology companies that received unclaimed bodies from the center also said they were proactively changing policies or reevaluating their program efforts.
As the first parts of the investigation were published online and aired on NBC’s “Nightly News with Lester Holt,” elected officials at the local, state and federal levels wondered what happened. He expressed alarm and called for policy changes to prevent the investigation from continuing. something that will happen again.
After obtaining the names of hundreds of people whose unclaimed bodies were sent to health science centers, reporters discovered that some families were unaware that their relatives’ bodies were being donated. To help survivors find answers, NBC News later published the names of the unclaimed dead, and several more families came forward. Although they were surprised by what they learned, they were grateful to finally know the truth.
“How could something like that happen?” Tim Leggett said after spotting his brother Denzil “Dale” Leggett’s name on the list. “Who doesn’t realize, ‘Hey, this person probably has a family here’?”
Here’s a closer look at the impact of NBC News’ “Treatment of the Dead” series. The series includes changes to ensure that unclaimed bodies are treated with respect and dignity in North Texas and beyond.
1. UNT Health Sciences Center has laid off staff and stopped accepting unclaimed bodies.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center initially defended its use of unclaimed bodies, but after NBC News detailed its findings, the center suspended its body donation program and the staff leading the program announced that they would fire him and hire a consulting firm to investigate. .
“The information uncovered through your inquiries has revealed deficiencies in the management and oversight of the Will-Body Program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center,” the center said in a statement.
A few days later, the Health Sciences Center announced it would no longer accept unclaimed bodies, explaining that the decision was based on information revealed to reporters at their request. The center’s director, Sylvia Trent Adams, wrote in an email to students, faculty and staff that the documents detail “a lack of leadership, standards of respect and consideration, and professionalism.” Ta.
Andy North, a spokesperson for the University of North Texas, also told the family in a statement to NBC News: “Wild Body and Bioskills programs have failed to meet our standards of respect, consideration, and professionalism. “I apologized.” We have contacted the family and offer our deepest apologies. ”
2. Medical technology company changes policy and cuts ties with health sciences center
Companies, teaching hospitals, and medical schools that rely on health science centers also took action. DePuy Synthes, a Johnson & Johnson company, said it had suspended its relationship with the center. Boston Scientific said it is no longer working with the center and has updated its global policy to “require consent from the individual or next of kin.”
Dr. Douglas Humpers, CEO of the National Bioskills Institute, said he would ensure his company would no longer accept unclaimed bodies. “I don’t think we need to violate the rights of families to train doctors,” he says.
In all, 10 organizations and businesses said they were unaware that the center was providing unclaimed bodies.
3. The Army says it intends to clarify its policy regarding unclaimed bodies.
The Army, which has received dozens of bodies and body parts from the Health Sciences Center, also said it was investigating the center’s reliance on the Will-Body program. The Army also said it plans to review and clarify internal policies regarding the use of unclaimed remains.
Separately, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Terrence Hayes expressed his condolences to the family of homeless veteran Victor Hanney. Victor Honey’s body was mutilated without his consent or the knowledge of his relatives, and his body was loaned to a medical equipment company and the Army.
“We are deeply saddened to hear about him and his family,” Hayes said in a statement. “Mr. Honey, like all veterans who have served our country with courage and honor, deserved a dignified burial when he passed away.”
4. Tarrant County makes changes to treat unclaimed dead with dignity
Hundreds of unclaimed bodies entered the University of North Texas from Tarrant and Dallas counties because the arrangement was thought to save money. The contracts signed by counties to hand over unclaimed dead to health science centers had received little scrutiny before the NBC News report.
When reporters shared their findings, including stories of heartbroken families, with Tarrant County’s top elected official, Judge Tim O’Hare, he said, “I want to end all immoral and unethical behavior.” “We intend to consider our legal options.” Irresponsible behavior caused by this program. He called the NBC News report “alarming, to say the least.”
Mr. O’Hare then led the Tarrant County Commissioners Court in increasing efforts by staff to contact the next of kin of the deceased and to consider the religious beliefs of the deceased when deciding whether to bury or cremate them. It was unanimously approved to adopt a new policy requiring .
Additionally, Tarrant County has begun publishing the names of unclaimed people in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a free public database designed to connect missing person reports with unclaimed bodies. did.
Dallas County leaders said they also plan to review policies for handling unclaimed bodies.
5. Texas lawmakers announce bill to ban medical research on unclaimed bodies
State Sen. Tan Parker (R) announced plans to introduce a bill in the next legislative session in January that would ban the use of a person’s body for research unless the person or a living person has given full consent.
He said he had no idea until he saw the NBC News investigation that the Health Sciences Center was making money by dissecting unclaimed bodies and renting out body parts.
“I was furious and absolutely disgusted to see what was going on,” Parker said. “Human life is sacred and must always be protected. That is a core principle for me.”
6. Texas state authorities order health sciences center to stop liquefying human remains
The Texas Funeral Service Commission, which regulates body donation programs in the state, said it is conducting a similar review.
The commission inspected the Health Sciences Center in October after NBC News began publishing its findings and ordered the center to stop liquefying human remains after using them for training and research. A cease and desist letter was sent. To save money, the center turned to alkaline hydrolysis, also known as water cremation, but the funeral board claimed this was illegal.
“This practice is not permitted under Texas law and is a serious violation of the standards governing the lawful disposal of human remains,” the commission said in a letter to Health Sciences Center Director Trent Adams. said.
The center defended the legality of the practice in a statement to NBC News, but said it stopped water cremations in September, the same year the NBC News investigation was released.
7. Lawmakers asked local authorities for information
Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Rep. Mark Veasey called for answers from officials in Dallas and Tarrant counties, saying the unclaimed bodies include veterans eligible for federal benefits that cover military funerals. He said he was “shocked” by the NBC News investigation, including the fact that reporters discovered that he had been. .
In a letter to Dallas and Tarrant counties, they expressed particular concern that Victor Honey’s body was used without anyone informing his family of his death.
“By failing to notify Mr. Honey’s family, he has been deprived of the rights he earned through his heroic service to our country,” Crockett and Vesey wrote. “This incident alone raises serious concerns about how investigators in Dallas and Tarrant counties are attempting to meet the ‘zealous investigation’ requirement set forth in state law.”
8. Family found answers they had been looking for for years about their relatives.
The NBC News report had a huge impact on families who didn’t know what happened to their loved ones. As of December, reporters had identified at least 25 people whose bodies were sent to the Health Sciences Center without their relatives knowing. Eleven of these people’s families learned the details of what happened on NBC News.
As a public service, NBC News published a list of more than 1,800 people whose bodies were sent to Health Sciences Centers to help readers looking for answers about their loved ones. Noticias Telemundo, part of NBCUniversal, published the Spanish version of the list. Reporters spoke to six readers who learned of a death or donation in the family by finding their name on the list.
“We didn’t know she died or what happened to her,” said Nika Michelle Hodges, whose mother, Nika Michelle Hodges, died in a Fort Worth hospice last year and whose body was donated to the Health Sciences Center without her consent. said Abigail Wilson. “We searched all over Texas. If you hadn’t released that list of names, we would never have known.”
