Story UPDATE HERE
His corpse stolen by real body-snatchers
Ghoulish body parts for sale ring stole the bones of “Masterpiece Theatre” host Alistair Cooke just before he was cremated…
The celebrated broadcaster and actor died March 30, 2004, of lung cancer that spread to his bones.
The next day, without permission of any family members, body snatchers surgically carved out the 95-year-old’s diseased bones.
The bones were sold for more than $7,000 to two tissue processing companies for eventual transplant procedures, sources told The News.
The alleged leader of the body-snatching ring is Michael Mastromarino, whose operations are under investigation by the Brooklyn district attorney’s office.
Mastromarino ran Biomedical Tissue Services Ltd., a tremendously profitable tissue recovery business that sold body parts, including bone, skin and cardiac valves.
It gets even more gruesome. Body snatchers on a grand scale.
If I were the victim’s relative, I’d carve the bones of the thief when he is still alive.
There’s big money in allogeneic grafts. Where there’s money there are crooks. Most of these tissues are freeze dried, re-hydrated and are no longer biologically active when used. Donor grafts are usually removed at the hospital, and the mortuary receives a kit with the body that usually consists now of PVC pipe or wooden dowel to replace the long bones and straighten the limb for viewing. You run a tight suture line and apply sealant. It doesn’t affect viewing at all.
thats hillarious.
On a more serious note – the person was dead, right? So, they were done with the bones – I mean, they were just gonna cremate this guy anyway.
I don’t understand why FDA waited to recall the bone and tissue. Its my understanding that they have been investigating this for over 18 months. I received my bone graft jan. 20 2005, they could of spared alot of people this grief if they would of stopped them when they discovered there was a problem. How much did it cost Michael Mastromarino to pay FDA off?