According to Denver7 the former operator of a funeral home convicted of selling body parts without family consent, was sentenced in federal court Tuesday. Her mother was also reportedly sentenced to federal prison.

Authorities say the women operated Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose from 2010 to 2018. Authorities said the pair illegally sold body parts or entire bodies without the consent of the family of the deceased and shipped the parts in the mail.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations said there are hundreds of victims. [FULLSTORY]

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Montrose Woman Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud

Grand Junction – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Megan Hess, age 45, of Montrose, Colorado pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting.

According to the plea agreement, beginning in 2010 and continuing into 2018, Hess devised and executed a scheme to steal the bodies or body parts of hundreds of victims, and then sold those remains to victims purchasing the remains for scientific, medical, or educational purposes. 

Magistrate Judge Gordon P. Gallagher presided over the change of plea hearing on July 5, 2022. Sentencing will be set at a later date.

This case was investigated by the FBI Denver Division and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy Chaffin and Tim Neff. 

Due to public interest in this case, a copy of the plea agreement is posted here: hessplea_1.pdf | Case #: 20-cr-00098

The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction reported Sunset Mesa Funeral Home proprietor Megan Hess was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for her role in a scheme selling body parts to research firms and misleading people about how their loved ones’ remains were treated.

U.S. District Court of Colorado Judge Christine Arguello also sentenced Shirley Koch, Hess’s mother, to 15 years in prison for her role in the scheme.

Both defendants were taken into custody immediately after sentencing, which took place at the federal courthouse in Grand Junction. [FULLSTORY]

According to the Denver Post Megan Hess and Shirley Koch slowly put out their arms, the soft clink of metal handcuffs audible in the federal courtroom as U.S. marshalls took the mother and daughter into custody.

And with that sound, dozens of victims let out gasps — hugging, crying and laughing at the conclusion Tuesday of a real-life body-snatching case that the judge acknowledged had little precedent in American history.

“We came today to hear the handcuffs click,” said Erin Smith, who brought her mother’s body to Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors in Montrose after her death in 2011. Seven years later, the FBI informed her family that her mother wasn’t cremated but instead dismembered and sold for profit. “And we got that.” [FULLSTORY]

Reuters Special Report: FBI scrutinizes funeral home with side business – selling body parts.