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Body Broker Scandal: Dad's Remains Sold After Donation
12 Jan
Summary
- Dad donated body for surgical practice; remains were sold.
- Company promised cremation but returned ashes and body parts.
- Lack of federal law permits largely unregulated body brokering.
In 2009, Harrold Dillard donated his remains for knee replacement surgical practice, believing it was a final selfless act for his family. He died on Christmas Eve, and his body was collected by BioCare, a company that promised to cremate unused parts and return ashes. However, months later, his daughter, Farrah Fasold, was informed by police that his head had been found, revealing a disturbing practice.
This situation exposed "body brokering," where companies, often calling themselves "non-transplant tissue banks," act as middlemen. They acquire donated bodies and then sell them for research or education, operating in a market with minimal federal oversight. Unlike the highly regulated organ and tissue transplant industry, the sale of cadavers lacks federal law, allowing almost anyone to dissect and sell body parts.
