Texas Medical School Receives Thousands of Unclaimed Bodies, Releases Names of 1,800

The University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth has been receiving unclaimed bodies from Dallas and Tarrant counties for medical research purposes. The bodies were assessed for medical usefulness, with those testing positive for infectious diseases or decomposition being cremated. The rest were embalmed or stored in freezers for various uses, including training future medical professionals and being leased out to medical schools, the U.S. Army, and medical technology companies. However, after an investigation revealed that families were not informed about the use of their missing relatives’ bodies, the Health Science Center discontinued the use of unclaimed bodies, fired officials involved, and apologized to affected families. Additional families have come forward with similar stories. NBC News is publishing a database of over 1,800 individuals whose bodies were donated to the Health Science Center by the counties since 2019 to help families find answers. Although using unclaimed bodies for research is legal in most of the U.S. and is seen as economically beneficial, the lack of transparency and consent in this case has caused distress among families who were unaware of how their relatives’ bodies were being used.

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