Whistleblowers claim bodies 'mutilated' at local morgue
EVERETT, Wash. -- After an unexpected or unexplained death, an autopsy can help find the truth.
The prospect of such an invasive procedure is often daunting for an already grieving family, but what if they can't trust the person wielding the knife?
Insiders from the funeral industry and the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office tell the KOMO Problem Solvers that some bodies are being mutilated during autopsies.
"No one in the industry wants to be in a position to tell the family members their loved one was basically butchered by the M.E.," said one funeral home worker who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's kind of a rough thing to see. These are human beings."
One of those people was Harry Fagundes, who was taken to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's office after his unexpected death in 2003.
"It was very devastating," said Cindy, his wife of 29 years. "I called his name, but he didn't move. He was sitting in a chair, and he was definitely gone."
Because the children were out of town when Harry died, Cindy insisted on an open casket funeral.
"They needed to say goodbye to him," Cindy said. "He just looked like he was sleeping and that was very important for them."
But that peaceful repose hid a secret about the condition of Harry's body when it left the medical examiner's office. The secret was kept from Harry's family and the public -- buried for seven years -- until our public disclosure requests uncovered several disturbing complaints about the condition of bodies coming from the morgue.
In a 2003 letter from Harry's funeral director to Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Norman Thiersch, the director complains of the struggle to prepare Harry for his viewing due to the "mutilated condition" of arteries.
"It appeared that a chainsaw had been used" during Harry's autopsy, the letter said.
At the time, Thiersch responded saying, "I have taken appropriate action."
But we've learned Harry's was not an isolated case, and the problems have continued.
"Everyone in the funeral home industry have gotten quite adept at essentially lying to the families, or I guess we should say omitting the truth, because no one wants to know the truth," said our source, who works for one of the area's largest funeral homes and is risking his job by coming forward.
A former high-level manager at the morgue says assistants and trainees were often doing complex procedures that should be performed by a pathologist.
"And as a result you can imagine that there are multiple mistakes that are made," he said. "There was an inattention to the needs of the funeral homes."
He claims the poorly-trained hands often mangle arteries and blood vessels, with grave results for embalmers.
"When you can't embalm the face properly then the face doesn't look lifelike," he said.
Funeral home sources tell us compensating for this type of damage takes so much time that families are being charged $3,000 to $5,000 dollars extra for the effort. And it's a cost they have no idea they're paying.
"At a time when they're not comparison shopping," said our source in the funeral home industry. "And they do not have the ability to know the truth. And it's a horrible truth."
But it's a truth that county leaders could and should have known.
"I know several funeral homes have been very vocal," said the source, noting that absolutely nothing was done as a result of the complaints.
County council members received an anonymous e-mail in the summer of 2009 from someone in the funeral industry complaining of repeated cases of "bodies delivered... in vile condition."
The e-mail -- and council members -- urged an investigation.
Snohomish County Executive Director Peter Camp said he took the complaint seriously when he was notified.
But county records show Camp, who is Thiersch's boss, never launched a formal investigation. Instead, Camp had a consultant, which had already been hired to recruit the new associate Medical Examiner, ask a handful of funeral homes if there were any problems.
And there was one significant complaint, which echoed what was in the e-mail about the condition of the bodies after autopsy.
"You talk about one circumstance where arteries were severed," said Camp. "It did not talk about bodies in vile condition, whatever that means."
But our investigation turned up yet another red flag that should have been noticed.
We found the handwritten notes of a councilman's aide, quoting a medical examiner's employee complaining of "butchery" and "bodies being mutilated."
This complaint came just one month after that anonymous e-mail. Council staff insist the information was forwarded to Camp.
Yet public records lack any evidence that Camp ever followed up.
Instead, despite these complaints from both the funeral home industry and an insider from the medical examiner's office, Camp wrote a letter to his superior and the council recommending no further action.
Funeral homes insist they've also complained repeatedly to the man in charge, Dr. Norman Thiersch. He would not talk on camera for this story.
But by e-mail, Thiersch says his office takes its responsibilities seriously, "including respect for the body of the decedent."
Now, the information we've uncovered has county officials demanding action.
County Councilmen Dave Somers and John Koster say there needs to be an outside, independent inquiry into the allegations.
It's a sentiment echoed by Harry Fagundes' widow.
After she finally read that 7-year-old letter criticizing the autopsy of her husband, she said, "things need to change. The family members should have their loved ones treated with respect."
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Have a tip for the Problem Solvers or additional information to share about this story? E-mail us: problemsolvers@komonews.com
The prospect of such an invasive procedure is often daunting for an already grieving family, but what if they can't trust the person wielding the knife?
Insiders from the funeral industry and the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office tell the KOMO Problem Solvers that some bodies are being mutilated during autopsies.
"No one in the industry wants to be in a position to tell the family members their loved one was basically butchered by the M.E.," said one funeral home worker who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's kind of a rough thing to see. These are human beings."
One of those people was Harry Fagundes, who was taken to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's office after his unexpected death in 2003.
"It was very devastating," said Cindy, his wife of 29 years. "I called his name, but he didn't move. He was sitting in a chair, and he was definitely gone."
Because the children were out of town when Harry died, Cindy insisted on an open casket funeral.
"They needed to say goodbye to him," Cindy said. "He just looked like he was sleeping and that was very important for them."
But that peaceful repose hid a secret about the condition of Harry's body when it left the medical examiner's office. The secret was kept from Harry's family and the public -- buried for seven years -- until our public disclosure requests uncovered several disturbing complaints about the condition of bodies coming from the morgue.
In a 2003 letter from Harry's funeral director to Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Norman Thiersch, the director complains of the struggle to prepare Harry for his viewing due to the "mutilated condition" of arteries.
"It appeared that a chainsaw had been used" during Harry's autopsy, the letter said.
At the time, Thiersch responded saying, "I have taken appropriate action."
But we've learned Harry's was not an isolated case, and the problems have continued.
"Everyone in the funeral home industry have gotten quite adept at essentially lying to the families, or I guess we should say omitting the truth, because no one wants to know the truth," said our source, who works for one of the area's largest funeral homes and is risking his job by coming forward.
A former high-level manager at the morgue says assistants and trainees were often doing complex procedures that should be performed by a pathologist.
"And as a result you can imagine that there are multiple mistakes that are made," he said. "There was an inattention to the needs of the funeral homes."
He claims the poorly-trained hands often mangle arteries and blood vessels, with grave results for embalmers.
"When you can't embalm the face properly then the face doesn't look lifelike," he said.
Funeral home sources tell us compensating for this type of damage takes so much time that families are being charged $3,000 to $5,000 dollars extra for the effort. And it's a cost they have no idea they're paying.
"At a time when they're not comparison shopping," said our source in the funeral home industry. "And they do not have the ability to know the truth. And it's a horrible truth."
But it's a truth that county leaders could and should have known.
"I know several funeral homes have been very vocal," said the source, noting that absolutely nothing was done as a result of the complaints.
County council members received an anonymous e-mail in the summer of 2009 from someone in the funeral industry complaining of repeated cases of "bodies delivered... in vile condition."
The e-mail -- and council members -- urged an investigation.
Snohomish County Executive Director Peter Camp said he took the complaint seriously when he was notified.
But county records show Camp, who is Thiersch's boss, never launched a formal investigation. Instead, Camp had a consultant, which had already been hired to recruit the new associate Medical Examiner, ask a handful of funeral homes if there were any problems.
And there was one significant complaint, which echoed what was in the e-mail about the condition of the bodies after autopsy.
"You talk about one circumstance where arteries were severed," said Camp. "It did not talk about bodies in vile condition, whatever that means."
But our investigation turned up yet another red flag that should have been noticed.
We found the handwritten notes of a councilman's aide, quoting a medical examiner's employee complaining of "butchery" and "bodies being mutilated."
This complaint came just one month after that anonymous e-mail. Council staff insist the information was forwarded to Camp.
Yet public records lack any evidence that Camp ever followed up.
Instead, despite these complaints from both the funeral home industry and an insider from the medical examiner's office, Camp wrote a letter to his superior and the council recommending no further action.
Funeral homes insist they've also complained repeatedly to the man in charge, Dr. Norman Thiersch. He would not talk on camera for this story.
But by e-mail, Thiersch says his office takes its responsibilities seriously, "including respect for the body of the decedent."
Now, the information we've uncovered has county officials demanding action.
County Councilmen Dave Somers and John Koster say there needs to be an outside, independent inquiry into the allegations.
It's a sentiment echoed by Harry Fagundes' widow.
After she finally read that 7-year-old letter criticizing the autopsy of her husband, she said, "things need to change. The family members should have their loved ones treated with respect."
---
Have a tip for the Problem Solvers or additional information to share about this story? E-mail us: problemsolvers@komonews.com
