GUILTY CO - Funeral home owners Megan Hess, 46, and Shirley Koch, 69, charged for selling body parts and providing fake ashes to families - 1/4/22

[Bishop Black]

Funeral home owner who dismembered corpses, sold body parts sentenced to 20 years in prison

Megan Hess and her mother Shirley Koch defrauded over 200 families by handing over random ashes while selling body parts of deceased individuals entrusted to their funeral home.

www.foxnews.com

A former Colorado funeral home owner has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on charges of fraud and selling body parts without permission.

"This is the most emotionally draining case I have ever experienced on the bench," U.S. District Judge Christine M. Arguello said during Tuesday's sentencing hearing in Grand Junction, Colorado. "It's concerning to the court that defendant Hess refuses to assume any responsibility for her conduct."

Megan Hess, 46, pleaded guilty to fraud in July after a 2018 Reuters investigation into the sale of body parts in the United States. Former workers discussed the operation out of the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home, owned by Hess and her mother Shirley Koch, 69, who dismembered bodies and sold the parts while returning ashes to the grieving families.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Montrose funeral director sentenced to 20 years in prison, mother to 15 years

The two were arrested in March 2020 and each charged with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of illegal transportation of hazardous materials.

www.cpr.org

 

[DrQ]

IMHO this is beyond words. This is another one of those times there will be a door in hell with their name on it. I can't imagine anyone being able to do such a horrible thing to grieving families. At least they are out of business and going to spend time in the big house. Prisoner's have a criminal point system for crime. I'm not sure where these two will fall.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Families scatter ashes, seek to bring dignity to unidentified remains after funeral home sold remains of their loved ones

Families scatter ashes, seek to bring dignity to unidentified remains after funeral home sold remains of their loved ones

www.9news.com