David Saunders lived an extended and successful life, reaching 98 years old. He was tragically killed by a heart attack, even though he was close to reaching 100. CovidAs so many people in the last few years. But that’s just the beginning. The Covid While the family’s death was shocking enough, the next event was a horror film-style horror that left the family reeling.
Warning: This can get very dark.
They did WHAT with the body
Imagine your loved one dying in a horrible pandemic. Only to find out that the body was being dissected for public use at $500 per person. This is what happened to the Saunders family. As if losing their patriarch wasn’t troubling enough.
A man by the name Jeremy Ciliberto started a DeathScience.Org group that has been touring as part an Oddities and CuriositiesEvent, intended to inform people about medical science such as autopsies. What that means in simple terms is it’s a live, pay-per-view event for autopsies. This is where Saunders, a man who wanted to donate his mortal remains for science, ended up.
Is this legal (and ethical)?
The first autopsy took place at the Portland Marriott on October 7th. Many authorities were left scratching their heads. Kimberly DiLeo, who was the chief medical death investigator for Multnomah County, Oregon had some very pointed words about the first event, “We feel that this was not respectful and certainly not ethical.” Thankfully, Oregon was quick enough to act, which led to the second event (which was to be David Saunders public dissection) being promptly canceled as more questions of ethics arose.
A photojournalist who was at the first event, and captured the surreal situation playing out, said this about it: “Paying customers filed into a lower floor ballroom at the Marriott Downtown Waterfront hotel. A figure was draped in a white sheet and sat at the table in the middle of the ballroom. The VIP customers who had paid the $500 ticket price sat in front row inches from each other. He then sliced into the head, limbs, and torso of the expired man while onlookers gawked.” Some say it is educational,Others who were there also pointed out how disturbing and disrespectful the whole thing was to them.
Fallout from the Event
Jeremy Ciliberto, the founder, claims it is educational. This may be true for some people who attend. But the real problem is ethics. He claims to have paid more than ten grand for each body. He gets them from Med Ed Labs (a Las Vegas non-profit that acquires bodies donated for science). Many people are catching onto the fact that the bodies are donated for free, but Med Ed sells them for as high as ten grand.
Ciliberto insists he does everything according to the book, even though it can be very confusing for some. He has also stated that, in his words, “consent is not his responsibility.” He puts that on Med Ed Labs. It seems like there is a lot of deflecting going.
What Happens NOW!
The Marriott Hotel examined the Oregon event, and was quite disturbed by what it discovered. It had been told the event was for “medical equipment training”, which is why it okayed it. Suffice it to say, once it found out it was for the public dissection of a human body, it quickly canceled the Seattle event, sparing David Saunders’ family even more trauma.
Ciliberto isn’t afraid. According to a recent statement, Ciliberto was looking for new venues for these events for 2022. Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up. This story is a fascinating look at 2021 life.
