The attorney representing numerous families expresses her frustration. The families claim that their loved ones who died while confined in Alabama were missing organs after autopsy.
One lawsuit has already been filed, and Attorney Lauren Faraino thinks several more will follow. The families want to know why their loved ones’ organs were preserved by either UAB or the Department of Forensics, and they want to put an end to the process that allows this to happen.
Brandon Dotson, Charles Singleton, and Kelvin Moore were all detained at the time of their deaths, and their families received their bodies with missing parts. Lauren Faraino, the attorney for the prosecution, says, “UAB has found what they think is a loophole that allows them to collect organs from this endless supply of dead bodies that are coming out of the Department of Corrections.”
Faraino claims that the loophole isn’t actually a loophole. We contacted UAB, which responded with the following statement: “We only conduct autopsies with consent or authorization, including authorization for the final disposition of the organs and tissues.”
But who is granting that consent? Faraino claims that the jail wardens, not the family, are in violation of the law. She asserts, “The law is clear.” In 2021, Governor Ivey passed legislation prohibiting organ keeping without family knowledge and agreement. “It is clear.”
Faraino claims she was contacted months ago by a UAB medical student who expressed concern about the disproportionate amount of specimens in the lab from patients who were incarcerated at the time of their death. She says, “If I had to guess, the incentive would be money. Isn’t this generally the case? It may be necessary to have organs for medical study, but what does that research lead to? Money.”
We also contacted the Department of Correction. Leaders there issued a statement saying they do not comment on pending litigation, but they did add, “Please note that the ADOC does not authorize or perform autopsies.”