1,800 unclaimed bodies sent to Texas medical school, thousands more remain unclaimed

The University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth has been receiving unclaimed bodies from Dallas and Tarrant counties for five years for medical research purposes. The bodies were assessed for their usefulness, with those testing positive for infectious diseases or in early stages of decomposition being cremated. The remaining bodies were embalmed, placed in freezers, or cut into pieces to be used for training future medical professionals and leased out to various entities. While proponents argue that using unclaimed bodies for research saves taxpayers money and advances medicine, a recent investigation revealed that some families were not informed about the fate of their missing relatives. As a result, the Health Science Center has halted the use of unclaimed bodies, fired officials responsible for the body donation program, and apologized to affected families. Nine more families have since come forward with similar experiences, expressing shock and sadness at the thought of their loved ones’ bodies being studied, dissected, and leased out without consent. To assist families in finding answers, 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, based on records obtained through public records requests from the county medical examiners.

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