AND No One is Surprised

A Colorado funeral home owner accused of selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes has pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

Grand Junction resident Megan Hess, 45, entered the plea Tuesday in federal court as part of a plea agreement, prosecutors say. Under the terms of the agreement, she’s facing a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for her crimes, which reportedly occurred from 2010 through 2018, police say. Hess, who co-owned Sunset Mesa Funeral Home with her mother, are charged with selling cadavers’ body parts through a side business called Donor Services.

They’ve also been accused of charging clients $1,000 to cremate the bodies of their loved ones, then giving the families fake ashes — or, in some cases, failing to hand over any ashes, police say.

After initially pleading not guilty to similar charges, Hess’ mother, Shirley Koch, is expected to change her plea in a hearing scheduled for July 12th, prosecutors say.