For five years, the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth received unclaimed bodies from Dallas and Tarrant counties for medical research purposes. The bodies were assessed and those that were not suitable were either cremated or stored in freezers. Some were used to train future medical professionals, while others were cut into pieces and leased out to various organizations. This practice was legal and seen as a cost-effective way to provide specimens for medical research.
However, after it was revealed that several families were unaware of what had happened to their missing relatives’ bodies, the Health Science Center stopped using unclaimed bodies, fired program officials, and apologized to affected families. Survivors have come forward to share their shock and heartbreak at the thought of their loved ones being studied, dissected, and leased out without consent.
In an effort to help families find closure, NBC News has published a database of over 1,800 people whose bodies were donated to the Health Science Center by the two counties since 2019. This information was obtained through open records requests from county medical examiners. The situation has raised ethical concerns and prompted a reevaluation of the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research.
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