Public Autopsy of US War Veteran Who Willed Body to Science Held

Tickets to the event cost up to $500.

On October 17, at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront hotel, a public anatomical autopsy of the body of 98-year-old World War II veteran David Saunders of Baton Rouge (Louisiana) was held. 

Tickets to the event cost between $100 and $500. Media reports that about 70 people gathered in the hall where the autopsy took place, including students, anthropologists and therapists. 

A journalist from Portland TV channel King 5 News also attended the event. The blurred footage of the autopsy shown in the news caused public outrage, and Saunders' widow, 92-year-old Elsie Saunders, only learned of what had happened thanks to this report. She said she had not consented to a public autopsy. 

"I got the impression that it was strictly for medical science, not that his body would be put on display," Elsie said. 

The woman said her husband had indeed bequeathed his body for scientific research. In August 2021 he died of coronavirus, so his body could not be accepted by Louisiana State University. Elsie then contacted a funeral home in Baton Rouge. 

There she was advised to contact Med Ed Labs in Nevada, which supplies bodies for scientific research to the government, the military and non-profit organizations. Saunders did so: she signed the necessary papers and handed over her husband's body. The elderly woman was not warned that it could be used in a public autopsy. 

Media found that the event was organized by Death Science and Oddities & Curiosities Expo, to which Med Ed Labs gave the body of the deceased. The advertising suggests the autopsy was conceived as a "workshop" whose participants would be able to "observe an anatomical autopsy of a human body." 

The management of Death Science has already apologized to Elsie Saunders. The company said it understood how stressful the incident could have been for David's relatives and loved ones. However, representatives of Med Ed Labs said there were no violations on their part, since the widow had signed the documents and donated the body for the sake of science. 

The administration of the hotel where the event took place said it was unaware of the details and nature of the event. Portland police said they would not open a criminal case, since formally no law had been broken. Lieutenant Nathan Sheppard said that although the autopsy could have violated civil rights, "there were no criminal laws that directly specified such circumstances." 

The state health department did not respond to media requests for comment. The county's chief medical examiner said the brain and organs were removed during what she described as a public "pay-per-view event." According to her, this was completely "immoral and unethical," and county management is "actively studying" whether it violates any laws. 

Death Science spent about $10,000 on the entire event, including the use of the body, its transportation and staff. Med Ed Labs paid for the cremation and urn.