This article is part of “Dealing the Dead,” an NBC News series investigating the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research.
The revelation that a Texas medical school was routinely dissecting the bodies of unclaimed people and leasing them out to for-profit medical device companies for training and research drew a rapid and far-reaching response.
NBC News’ investigation into the University of North Texas Health Science Center led to changes even before the first article ran, with the center announcing in response to the reporters’ findings that it was suspending its body donation program and firing the officials who led it. Medical technology companies that had received unclaimed bodies from the center also pre-emptively said they were changing policies or re-evaluating their work with the program.
When the first part of the investigation was published online and aired on NBC’s “Nightly News with Lester Holt,” elected officials at the local, state and federal level expressed alarm at what had occurred and said they would push for policy changes to prevent it from ever happening again.
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After obtaining the names of hundreds of people whose unclaimed bodies were sent to the Health Science Center, reporters discovered that some families had been unaware their relatives’ bodies had been donated. To help survivors find answers, NBC News later published the names of the unclaimed dead, leading several more families to come forward, aghast at what they learned but grateful to finally know the truth.
“How does something like that happen?” Tim Leggett said after spotting the name of his brother, Denzil "Dale" Leggett, on the list. “How could somebody not realize, ‘Hey, this person’s probably got family here?’”
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Here is more detail on the impact of NBC News’ “Dealing the Dead” series, which includes changes meant to ensure the bodies of the unclaimed dead are treated with respect and dignity in North Texas and beyond.
1. UNT’s Health Science Center fired officials and stopped accepting unclaimed bodies
The University of North Texas Health Science Center initially defended its use of unclaimed bodies, but after NBC News presented its detailed findings, the center announced that it was suspending its body donation program, firing the officials who led it and hiring a consulting firm to investigate.
“As a result of the information brought to light through your inquiries, it has become clear that failures existed in the management and oversight of The University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Willed Body Program,” the center said in a statement.
Days later, the Health Science Center said it would stop accepting unclaimed bodies, explaining that its decision was based on information uncovered through reporters’ requests. These documents detailed “deficiencies in leadership, standards of respect and care, and professionalism exhibited,” the center’s president, Sylvia Trent-Adams, wrote in an email to students, faculty and staff.
University of North Texas spokesperson Andy North also apologized to families in a statement to NBC News: “The Willed Body and BioSkills programs fell short of the standards of respect, care and professionalism that we demand. We are working to connect with families to extend our deepest apologies.”
2. Medical technology companies changed policies and cut ties with the Health Science Center
Companies, teaching hospitals and medical schools that relied on the Health Science Center also took action. DePuy Synthes, a Johnson & Johnson company, said it had paused its relationship with the center. Boston Scientific said that it was no longer working with the center and that it had updated its global policy “to require consent by the individual or next-of-kin.”
Dr. Douglas Hampers, National Bioskills Laboratories’ CEO, said his company would ensure that it no longer accepted unclaimed bodies. “I don’t think you have to violate a family’s rights in order to train physicians,” he said.
In all, 10 organizations and companies said they did not know the center had provided them with unclaimed bodies.
3. The Army said it would clarify its policies on unclaimed bodies
The Army, which had received dozens of bodies and body parts from the Health Science Center, said it, too, was examining its reliance on the center’s Willed Body Program. The Army also said it planned to review and clarify internal policies on the use of unclaimed bodies.
Separately, Terrence Hayes, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, offered condolences to the family of Victor Honey, a homeless veteran whose body was cut up and leased out to medical device companies and the Army without his consent or his relatives’ knowledge.
“We were extremely saddened to hear of his and his family’s story,” Hayes said in a statement. “Mr. Honey, like all Veterans who have served our nation with courage and honor, deserved a dignified burial at the time of his passing.”
4. Tarrant County made changes to treat the unclaimed dead with dignity
Hundreds of unclaimed bodies flowed to the University of North Texas from Tarrant and Dallas counties, which saw the arrangement as a cost savings. The contracts the counties signed to turn over their unclaimed dead to the Health Science Center drew little scrutiny prior to NBC News’ reporting.
When reporters shared their findings — including the stories of heartbroken family members — with the top elected official in Tarrant County, Judge Tim O’Hare, he responded by saying that he planned to explore legal options “to end any and all immoral, unethical, and irresponsible practices stemming from this program.” He called NBC News’ reporting “disturbing, to say the least.”
O’Hare followed up by leading the Tarrant County Commissioners Court in unanimously voting to adopt a new policy requiring officials to make more strenuous efforts to contact the deceased’s next of kin and to take their religious beliefs into account when deciding whether to bury or cremate them.
In addition, Tarrant County began publishing the names of unclaimed people on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a free public database meant to connect reports of missing people to unclaimed bodies.
Dallas County leaders said they also planned to review policies for handling unclaimed bodies.
5. A Texas lawmaker announced a bill to ban medical research on unclaimed bodies
State Sen. Tan Parker, a Republican, announced plans to introduce a bill in the next legislative session in January to prohibit the use of people’s bodies for research unless they or their survivors give full consent.
He said he had no idea before seeing NBC News’ investigation that the Health Science Center had made money off of unclaimed bodies by dissecting them and leasing out the body parts.
“I was outraged and completely just disgusted to see what had been occurring,” Parker said. “Human life is sacred and needs to always be protected, and that is a core principle to me.”
6. Texas authorities ordered the Health Science Center to stop liquefying bodies
The Texas Funeral Service Commission, which regulates body donation programs in the state, said it was conducting a review as well.
The commission inspected the Health Science Center in October, after NBC News began publishing its investigation, and sent a cease-and-desist letter ordering the center to stop its practice of liquefying bodies after using them for training and research. The center had turned to alkaline hydrolysis, also known as water cremation, to save money, which the Funeral Commission said was illegal.
“This practice is not authorized under Texas state law and constitutes a serious violation of the standards governing the lawful disposition of human remains,” the commission said in the letter to Trent-Adams, the Health Science Center’s president.
The center defended the legality of the practice in a statement to NBC News but said it had halted water cremations in September — on the same day NBC News’ investigation was published.
7. Members of Congress pressed local officials for information
U.S. Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Marc Veasey requested answers from officials in Dallas and Tarrant counties, saying they were “shocked” by NBC News’ investigation, including reporters’ finding that the unclaimed bodies included veterans who are entitled to federal benefits that cover military funerals.
In a letter to Dallas and Tarrant counties, they expressed particular concern that Victor Honey’s body had been used without anyone notifying his family that he was dead.
“By failing to contact Mr. Honey’s family, he was deprived of the rights he earned by bravely serving our country,” Crockett and Veasey wrote. “This case alone raises serious concerns regarding how Dallas and Tarrant County investigators attempt to satisfy the ‘diligent inquiry’ requirement set forth by state law.”
8. Families found long-sought answers about their relatives
NBC News’ reporting had a significant impact on families who hadn’t known what happened to their loved ones. As of December, reporters have identified at least 25 people whose bodies were sent to the Health Science Center without their relatives’ knowledge; 11 of those people’s families learned details of what happened from NBC News.
As a public service, NBC News published a list of more than 1,800 people whose bodies were sent to the Health Science Center, to help readers who are searching for answers about their loved ones. Noticias Telemundo, which is part of NBCUniversal, published a Spanish-language version of the list. Reporters heard from six readers who learned of their family members’ death or donation when they discovered their names on the list.
“We didn’t know she was dead or what happened to her,” said Abigail Willson, whose mother, Nika Michelle Hodges, died at a Fort Worth hospice last year and whose body was then donated without her consent to the Health Science Center. “We have searched everywhere, all over Texas. If you wouldn’t have put out that list of names, we never would have known.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from the "Dealing the Dead" series:
