In a surprising turn of events, an Arizona man has taken legal action against a body-donation company after learning that his mother’s body, intended for Alzheimer’s research, was instead used in military bomb testing.
While many people opt for traditional burial or cremation, approximately 20,000 individuals in the US annually choose to donate their bodies for scientific and educational research.
The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act provides some regulation for organ donation, but a significant unregulated market for human remains persists.
FBI Special Agent Paul Micah Johnson, who has spent nearly a decade investigating this field, explained to CBS News in 2023: “Medical research and education, particularly education, is a vague term and it is not clearly defined even in the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.”
“The misleading of families across the industry is quite common.”
Jim Stauffer’s mother, Doris, passed away in 2014 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Stauffer had donated her body to the Biological Resource Center (BRC) with the intention of supporting Alzheimer’s research.
An investigation by Reuters revealed that over 20 bodies donated to BRC were instead used in US military blast experiments, including Stauffer’s mother’s body.
According to Reuters, BRC, which is no longer in operation, sold bodies like Doris’ for $5,893 each.
The outlet stated: “When a body is donated, few states provide rules governing dismemberment or use, or offer any rights to a donor’s next of kin.”
“Bodies and parts can be bought, sold and leased, again and again. As a result, it can be difficult to track what becomes of the bodies of donors, let alone ensure that they are handled with dignity.”
Stephen Gore, who owned BRC, admitted guilt to illegal control of an enterprise. KTVK reported that he was sentenced to one year of deferred jail time and four years of probation.
Following the lawsuit filing, Stauffer expressed to KNXV the profound impact this discovery had on him and his family.
He stated: “I don’t see a pathway of ever getting past this. Every time there’s a memory, every time there’s a photograph you look at, there’s this ugly thing that happened just right there staring right at you.”
“[Stephen Gore] didn’t care about the families, he didn’t care about the people and he didn’t care about the memories. If I can be a little small part of his personal financial destruction, I don’t care.”