A woman discovered a horrifying truth about her father’s body donation after his death. Farrah Fasold’s father, Harold Dillard, succumbed to cancer at 56 in 2009. While he was in hospice care, a company named Bio Care approached him with a request to donate his body for medical purposes, specifically for doctors to practice knee replacement surgeries.
Farrah remembered her father’s reaction in an interview with the BBC: “His eyes lit up.” For Mr. Dillard, this was a way to reduce the burden on his family and a chance to make a final selfless gesture.
After Mr. Dillard passed away on Christmas Eve in 2009, his body was promptly picked up from the hospice. The family was informed that any parts of his body not utilized would be cremated, and his ashes would be returned to them at no cost.
Farrah Fasold later received a distressing call that shattered her family’s expectations about what happened to her father’s body.
The police contacted her with the news that her father’s head, along with numerous other bodies, was found in a warehouse. “I would close my eyes at night and see huge red tubs filled with body parts,” she explained, describing her struggle with insomnia as she grappled with the truth.
Ms. Fasold believes her father’s body was disrespected and mishandled, contrary to what Bio Care had promised. She was informed by authorities that the bodies were “dismembered by a coarse cutting instrument, such as a chainsaw.” It was suspected that his body was taken by a company that intended to sell parts rather than honor the agreement to cremate the remains.
The practice is part of a larger issue known as ‘body brokering,’ where private entities acquire bodies, use certain parts for research, and sell the remaining parts.
There are legitimate channels for donating bodies for research, separate from organ and tissue transplants, which are strictly regulated by the US government. However, there is no federal legislation governing the sale of whole bodies or body parts for research and educational uses in the US.
Farrah’s attempts to seek justice through legal action against Bio Care were unsuccessful. Despite the disturbing revelations, the legal system found no grounds against the company, which has since ceased operations, because prosecutors could not prove deceptive intent.