logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
43m 53s

Colorado Funeral Home Body Brokering Sch...

AARP
About this episode

Planning a loved one’s burial or cremation is a difficult experience under the best of circumstances. When Diana’s stepfather, Cactus, gets sick during the early stages of Alzheimer’s and sees a billboard advertising simple cremations for $695 at Sunset Mesa Funeral Home, he requests that his family cremate him and not spend a lot of money. But when Cactus dies and his cremains go missing under mysterious circumstances, it sets off a series of events that not only exacerbates the family’s grief, but also tips off a lengthy investigation by Reuters journalists that rocks a small community in western Colorado and exposes the dark, unregulated side of the body trade industry.

Up next
Today
Archive Episode: Colorado Funeral Home Body Brokering Scheme, Part 1
Planning a loved one’s burial or cremation is a difficult experience under the best of circumstances. When Diana’s stepfather, Cactus, gets sick during the early stages of Alzheimer’s and sees a billboard advertising simple cremations for $695 at Sunset Mesa Funeral Home, he requ ... Show More
40m 34s
Aug 22
Archive Episode: International Crime Ring Sets Up in West Virginia College Town
In this 2023 episode, Huntington, West Virginia, is an idyllic college town on the Ohio River, but it’s also the epicenter of a massive international internet crime ring. Federal prosecutor Katie Robeson hasn’t been on the job long when she learns that a woman in Huntington is ac ... Show More
39m 42s
Aug 15
Bonus: Scam Survivors Use Experience to Help Others
In this bonus episode, Bob talks with two of the nearly 150 trained volunteers who answer calls on the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline. Dee and Mike, both scam survivors, draw upon their experiences to offer emotional support and guidance to people who have recently been target ... Show More
32m 14s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2023
Introducing Cover Up Season 3: Body Brokers
For eight years, Megan Hess ran Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in the small town of Montrose, Colorado. She promised clients discounts on normally expensive cremations, a seeming kindness in a town where many are poor. But in the back of the funeral home, Megan’s elderly mother Shirley ... Show More
2m 57s
Apr 2021
Funerals and grief in a pandemic
The extraordinary measures put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ebola crisis placed restrictions on much of people’s lives, including the rituals and ceremony around death. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women whose work has supported grieving families during a time of ... Show More
27m 15s
Jun 2024
Direct Cremation: Cost-Efficient & Eco-Friendly Guide
Understanding Direct CremationWhat Is Direct Cremation?Direct cremation refers to a cremation process that occurs without any form of ceremony beforehand. Typically, this option does not involve a viewing, wake, or visitation. Direct cremation appeals to individuals seeking a no- ... Show More
1m 2s
Mar 2023
Episode 254: Cornelius Price and the flashy funeral rituals of gangland's hard-men
THE funeral of gangland hard-man Cornelius Price took place in the UK this week, complete with three Lamborghinis to lead the cortège, floral tributes of guns, chainsaws and one curious front page of the Sunday World.Beloved by his family, ‘Nailyboy’ - who is suspected of being i ... Show More
46m 14s
Sep 2022
Last Rites: Wisdom from a Fourth-Generation Undertaker
Ceremonies for honoring the departed are crucial parts of our lives, but few people know where our traditional practices come from—and what they reveal about our history, culture, and beliefs about death. In today's podcast, Tami Simon speaks with funeral director, embalmer, and ... Show More
58m 33s
Jul 2022
The Secret Keepers
When a 59-year-old father is found dead in his home, family members assume it is related to his ongoing health issues. But when the coroner reveals he didn’t die of natural causes, police begin an investigation questioning some of his family members. Keith Morrison reports. 
40m 58s
Jan 2021
I Killed My Wife And Her Body Disappeared (BAM)
The body of a deceased CEO of a major pharmaceuticals company goes missing from the morgue before it can be autopsied. The police find mounting evidence that the husband has a lot of motive to murder his wife and then steal her corpse so all evidence of the murder will be gone.  ... Show More
1h 14m
Jan 2022
Fugitive who faked death nearly killed by Covid / Boy reported dead by mom found alone in motel
In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An American man accused of sex crimes in multiple states reportedly died from cancer in 2020. Now authorities say he faked his death and became an international fugitive, after he's caught in a Scottish hospital with a near-fatal case of C ... Show More
46m 53s
Nov 2022
Funeral Clown: “To Die Laughing” | 1
What is it like to tell jokes at a Roman emperor’s funeral? Chris Parnell interviews a real Funeral Clown from 82 CE, a job that sometimes captured the hearts of funeral goers… and sometimes ended in certain death. And Chris wonders if this is a job tailor-made for his talents. Y ... Show More
34m 5s
Jun 2022
Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan: Reggie and Carol Sumner....Buried Alive
Murdered in a uniquely gruesome and prolonged series of events; Reggie and Carol Sumner are the helpless victims of a month-long plan carried out with the help of a familiar face. Buried alive in a pre-dug hole near the Florida/Georgia line, these two high-school sweethearts suff ... Show More
35m 16s