Spanish police have apprehended the owners and employees of a Valencia funeral home over an alleged macabre scheme – the illegal sale of corpses for university research.
The four suspects, comprising two owners and two employees, stand accused of selling bodies obtained from hospitals and retirement homes, primarily those of individuals without close family members. The shocking price tag? €1,200 per corpse.
Their alleged operation went beyond the initial sale. The suspects are also accused of assisting universities in disposing of the bodies after research, either through incineration or by dismembering and placing them in other coffins earmarked for cremation.
Investigations initiated in early 2023 unravelled the scheme after two funeral home employees were caught using fake documents to divert a body from a hospital morgue to university researchers instead of burying it as mandated. This particular case involved a man whose local council had already funded his burial in his hometown.
According to police reports, the suspects targeted individuals without close relatives, with a preference for foreigners. In another instance, they allegedly exploited an elderly man with reduced mental capacity, persuading him to donate his body to science. However, the body ended up at a different institution offering a higher price, despite the donor’s intended recipient being specified in the document.
Facing charges of fraud and document forgery, the suspects await further legal proceedings. This disturbing case not only raises ethical concerns about body handling and consent but also underscores the need for stricter regulations within the funeral industry.
