Mother's Body Likely Sold Illegally, FBI Tells Dallas Family

A Dallas family believed their mother's ashes were resting in peace in Oklahoma.But an FBI investigation revealed that might not be the case. Even worse -- Doris Lyons' body may have been sold for research without the family's consent."There was always that comfort knowing that she was there," Kayla Lyons, Doris' daughter, told WFAA-TV (Channel 8). "Now to find out that I can't go and talk to my mom, because it's probably not even her!"Doris Lyons died last year from complications after a fall during a trip to Colorado.The Lyons arranged to have Doris cremated at a facility near Durango, Colo., WFAA reported, but instead found out later the cremation took place at Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors in Montrose in western central Colorado.The business, owned by Megan Hess, was eventually shut down after multiple investigations by Colorado officials and the FBI.The investigation uncovered several potentially illegal practices at Sunset Mesa, including allegedly returning an urn full of cement mix to loved ones, according to The Watch, a newspaper based in Telluride, Colo.Kayla Lyons received a phone call on April 5 from the FBI, she told WFAA."He identified himself as an agent of the FBI in Grand Junction [Colo.], and he asked if I had signed any type of paperwork authorizing her body to be donated, and I said 'Absolutely not,'" Lyons told WFAA. "That's when he told me, 'I regret to inform you we have receipts showing where your mom's body parts have been sold.'"Lyons said she hopes what happened to her family will shine a light on a somewhat unregulated business, telling WFAA that "no one needs that phone call" like the one she received.  Continue reading...