Body Snatching: When Real Life Imitates Scary Movies

One of the most bizarre cases to hit the headlinestissues recovered by Biomedical Tissue Services
recently has been about body snatching. Science(BTS) be tested for evidence of infection with HIV,
fiction, this is not. Unbelievably horrible, it is.hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and
Dealing with death, funerals, and cremation can besyphilis. On August 30, 2006, CDC and FDA made the
emotionally gut-wrenching enough but what happenssame recommendation for testing of recipients of
when after you thought your loved one was laid totissues recovered by Donor Referral Services or
rest, the district attorney calls to inform you otherwise.Raleigh, N.C.
This painful scenario is exactly what happened toPatients who have implants must rely on the hospital
hundreds of New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia,or doctor to be notified of where the implant came
Pennsylvania families who learned that their deadfrom.
loved ones were secretly carved up and robbed ofBecause of this ghoulish debacle, the Safe Tissue Act
skin, teeth, and cadaver bones before burial orwas signed into law in April 2006. The FDA will have
cremation.tighter restraints on tissue recovery companies with
Biomedical Tissue Services, a now-defunct humaninspections not less than once every two years. The
tissue bank located in Fort Lee, New Jersey,FDA will conduct periodic audits ensuring that tissue
collaborated with crematoriums and funeral homes inproducts are obtained legally; that donor eligibility and
the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York tri-statemedical history is based on accurate information; and
area, paying them princely sums of money in order tothat companies are employing good tissue removal
blindly look the other way while illegally dissectingand storage practices. The FDA is also advising on a
human skin and tissue, teeth, and cadaver bones.model consent form for acquiring tissue.
Funeral Homes like Louis Garzone Funeral Home,A number of law firms have been filing lawsuits
Philadelphia, Daniel George & Son, Brooklyn, Englishagainst the funeral homes and tissue companies on
Brothers Funeral Home, Brooklyn, New York Mortuarybehalf of family members whose loved ones' body
Service Inc., Thomas E. Burger Funeral Home in Hilton,parts were illegally stolen and sold for profit. Those in
New York, Profetta Funeral Chapel, which has sites inthe class action lawsuit received tainted bone and
Webster and Irondequoit, and Serenity Hills Funeraldental implants. Although these tainted implants have
Chapel, Rochester are alleged to be part of the BTSnot yet manifested any diseases, they were
problem.improperly obtained from old, diseased, infectious, and
Stolen cadaver bones are an unethical practice drivenperhaps the terminally ill. Time will tell what lies ahead
by financial greed. Researchers' need for stolen bodyas far as their physical and medical ramifications.
parts runs high. A cadaver and its parts could bePhiladelphia law firm Anapol Schwartz has a long
worth as much as $200,000 depending on the age ofhistory as a "personal injury" firm; however a closer
the body. Dealing with stolen body parts is a new kindlook reveals that the firm has grown through
of human trafficking especially for children, teens, anddiversification, while maintaining a tradition of excellence.
young adults who disappear and whose bodies areAnapol Schwartz now handles a wider range of
never found.cases, including a variety of class-action suits. For
On October 26, 2005, Centers for Disease Controlmore information on the class action suit in this article,
and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drugcontact Philadelphia attorney Lawrence R. Cohen, Esq.
Administration (FDA) recommended that recipients of