California hospital accused of losing bodies and failing to inform panicking families that their loved ones were dead
Dignity Health is accused of 'callous, reckless, and outrageous failure' for not notifying families about their dead loved ones or issuing death certificates, SFGate reports. A 2022 health department audit, reviewed by SFGate, states one hospital, Mercy San Juan Medical Center, had significant failures when it came to processing the dead.
Now, families are filing complaints against the California hospital system as they mourn their relatives.
The family of Jessie Peterson filed a complaint against Dignity Health following her death in April 2023. The initial complaint was filed last year but has since been amended to broaden the scope when it was discovered more people may have been impacted.
The complaint, shared with The Independent by the family's attorney Marc Greenberg, reveals Peterson, 31, died after she was admitted to Mercy San Juan Medical Center during a diabetic episode.
Peterson's mother alleges that she was never contacted about her daughter's death, and that hospital staff incorrectly told her she had left against medical advice.
Her family embarked on a year-long search, posting flyers and asking friends about her whereabouts, SFGate reports. The family finally found closure a year after her death, when police discovered Peterson's body at the Mortuary Support Services of Northern California. Her body was so badly decomposed that her family was unable to hold an open-casket funeral, SFGate reports.
The decomposition also made it impossible for officials to conduct an autopsy to determine if there was any medical malpractice, the complaint states.
The Peterson family isn't alone.
The family of Tonya Walker, a 51-year-old, mother of four, reported her missing on November 10. She was homeless at the time, but her family told SFGate she kept in regular contact with them.
The family was unaware that Walker had been admitted to a Dignity Health hospital on October 31, 2023 for low blood sugar, high blood pressure and high potassium levels. She died November 2, 2023.
This led to a months-long missing person search. The family hung thousands of posters and offered a reward for information, SFGate reports. They didn't find her until May 31, 2024, when local police said they found Walker, according to the complaint. She was also at the Mortuary Support Services of Northern California.
Now, Walker's family says Dignity Health never notified them about her death, and failed to issue a death certificate. When they found her in the morgue, they said her body was unrecognizable and it appeared her eyes and skin were removed, SFGate reports.
The family's complaint states that Dignity Health 'unilaterally made the decision to make Ms. Walker an organ donor, and then without any permission whatsoever, harvested Ms. Walker's eyes and tissue.'
An attorney for Walker's family, Rachel Fiset, told The Independent that the hospital 'knowingly and repeatedly violated their legal obligations.'
'The behavior has caused severe emotional distress beyond measure, particularly when coupled with what appears to be harvesting organs without authorization and storing dozens of unembalmed bodies in 'cold storage' for months, and even years, to decompose,' Fiset said. 'It's a gross disregard for human life and the dozens of cases suggest the actions were at the least reckless, if not intentional.'
The family also named Mortuary Support Services of Northern California in their complaint. An attorney for the morgue's owner, Michael Lofton, told SFGate the company denies any liability related to the allegations.
'Obviously this is a very unfortunate situation; however, our client, Mortuary Support Services of Northern California, disputes that it has any liability in this matter and we intend to vigorously defend any claims against it,' the attorney said. 'However, as this matter is now in litigation, we cannot comment further.'
Other Dignity Health patients have reportedly gone missing after their deaths. One unnamed patient went missing in 2023 after their body was picked up by an unknown person, SFGate reports, citing health department records.
A spokesperson for Dignity Health declined to comment on the allegations to SFGate.
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