Valencia Funeral Home Case: Alleged Body Misuse and Forgeries

They were investigated for illegal handling of deceased individuals

Police authorities in Valencia opened a case against the owner and two employees of a local funeral home after allegations emerged that bodies were being moved and sold through forged documents and misrepresented procedures. The trio is accused of creating fake paperwork to take bodies out of hospitals and homes, then charging universities for studies tied to those remains.

Investigators learned that the suspects asked about 1,200 euros per body and billed for the removal of the same bodies multiple times from different locations. The pattern suggested a loop: a university would be charged for research on a cadaver, the body would be cremated, and the paperwork looked legitimate on the surface but contained distortions or omissions that masked the true nature of the events.

They allegedly used cremation in ways that polluted the system

The situation unfolded in a way that raised serious questions about how remains were treated. One university was billed 5,040 euros for 11 funerals. The origin of these bodies and the institutions that agreed to their use did not appear in records kept by any authorized incinerator in Valencia. Investigators concluded that dismembered remains were secretly placed into other coffins, allowing the funeral home to profit from multiple cremations without proper payments being made.

The inquiry began in early 2023 after reports emerged about suspicious removals from hospital morgues. There were indications that civil registry documents could have been tampered with, and that the same facilities might have contributed to irregularities in the registration of deaths and transfers.

Irregular removals of bodies from hospitals

At the heart of the case lies the claim that two funeral home workers took possession of a body after forging accompanying documents. They reportedly claimed the body was slated for transfer to a university for study rather than burial, a move that bypassed family consent and public records. In some instances, the deceased person was supposed to be laid to rest in their hometown with a charitable funeral funded by the local council, yet the body was diverted and sold by the funeral home for about 1,200 euros without the knowledge or consent of relatives.

These developments prompted alarms within the police force, which intensified the investigation and broadened its scope to determine whether the scheme was isolated or part of a larger pattern affecting multiple cases.

Seeking donors with no clear ties to families

Following leads, authorities uncovered another case that followed the same method. A deceased individual was reportedly accepted into a nursing home and documented as a donation rather than a standard burial. Investigators later confirmed that the paperwork did not reflect a genuine donation and that the person’s mental state indicated a lack of capacity to understand such arrangements at the time of signing. It appeared that a donation had been forged to send the body to a medical school, while another person was moved for a higher payment.

The investigation revealed that the individuals involved sometimes manipulated the living consent process, taking advantage of people who were foreign, had unstable living situations, or did not have close family oversight. By avoiding family tracking, the scheme gained an opening for illicit activity and possible profit without scrutiny.

One cremation, multiple charges

In further findings, authorities learned that irregularities extended to cremation practices. Some bodies claimed for scientific study appeared to be cremated under the supervision of the same funeral home. When university work concluded, the cremation responsibilities should have rested with the proper authorities, but the funeral home allegedly stepped back in to charge additional fees. The connection between the university and the cremation process became a focal point of the inquiry, with 11 funerals totaling 5,040 euros billed and no corresponding documentation from authorized incinerators in Valencia.

Distributing remains across coffins

The investigation uncovered practices that exploited the crescent manipulation of remains during medical study. Instead of posing proper cremations for each individual, the offenders were said to reallocate remains into the coffins of other deceased individuals. This allowed multiple cremations to be performed under a single process while enabling the perpetrators to collect payments from universities and related parties. The pattern pointed to clear financial gain, with the practice serving as a disquieting form of exploitation rather than legitimate medical research or memorial rites.

With the accumulation of evidence, authorities arrested two workers from the same institution, and both the managers of the funeral home faced charges. Suspected crimes included fraud and document forgery, signaling a serious breach of trust in the handling of human remains and contractual arrangements tied to medical education.

The case underscores the need for strict oversight of body handling, registry accuracy, and transparent invoicing. It also highlights the importance of safeguarding families from potential exploitation and ensuring that institutions involved in medical education maintain rigorous ethics and accountability for every donated or transferred body. The ongoing inquiry continues to review prior transactions and verify the legitimacy of all parties involved, with additional actions likely as new details emerge. (Source: Valencia Police Department)