Two Texas members of the U.S. House are calling for answers from Dallas and Tarrant county officials regarding the 1,800 unclaimed bodies donated for medical research without family consent.
On Sept. 16, NBC News published findings of a 10-month investigation into the University of North Texas Health Science Center and its failure to comply with state law requiring death investigators to make a "diligent inquiry" to find a relative.
U.S. Reps Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, and Marc Veasey, D-Dallas, sent a letter Wednesday to the medical examiner's offices in Dallas and Tarrant counties challenging policies regarding handling unclaimed remains.
The letter included a series of questions that, according to the letter, aim to find out why the families were not notified and how the school plans to rectify the harm caused. It asked for responses from representatives of both counties by Nov. 30.
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According to the letter, the unclaimed remains were cremated and then buried in local cemeteries or spread at sea, saving the involved counties half a million dollars in burial and cremation costs.
Lawmakers expressed additional concern for the body of U.S. Army veteran Victor Honey, whose remains were donated to the university without notifying his son, who lives in Dallas.
Under federal law, veterans and their dependents are entitled to certain funeral benefits, such as funding to assist with burial and relocation to VA cemeteries, the letter explained.
"By failing to contact Mr. Honey’s family, he was deprived of the rights he earned by bravely serving our country," Crockett wrote.
The letter listed changes to UNT's Health Science Center following NBC's investigation, including the suspension of the body donation program, a temporary moratorium on all out-of-state cadaver shipments, and the suspension of several cessation contracts.
Additionally, Tarrant County issued a new policy detailing how it would handle future remains of unclaimed individuals.
However, Crockett said these changes do not provide safeguards to prevent repeat offenses.
"While we welcome these changes, they do not erase the pain and grief thousands of families are feeling as a result of the failures detailed in the investigation by NBC," she said.
