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‘It shakes you to the core’

Lawmen react to string of officer murders

Micah Flick

•Gunman kills 3rd Colo. deputy in 36 days •Troubling incidents seen locally •Sheriff: ‘This needs to stop’ BY KATHARHYNN HEIDELBERG KATHARHYNNH@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

The black band hasn’t left San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters’ badge for more than 30 days. He, like the rest of Colorado’s law enforcement community, is again mourning the loss of an officer, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Micah Flick, who on Feb. 5 was the third peace officer to die in the state since Dec. 31, 2017. Flick, 34, was fatally shot while investigating a stolen vehicle report in Colorado Springs on the 11th anniversary of his employment with the agency. Two other deputies and a Colorado Springs police officer were also shot, and a civilian injured. The suspect died, an EPCSO spokeswoman said. In the aftermath, processions filled Colorado Springs streets, flags came down to half-staff on the governor’s order, and members of law enforcement were sharply reminded of the dangers of the job. Again. “I think it is a reminder,” Masters said Tuesday. “Every time it happens like this, it is a reminder. We haven’t lowered our flag from half mast for 30 days and we haven’t taken our black bands off our badges for 30 days.” Masters’ counterparts in Montrose and Hinsdale counties concurred. “We just unshrouded our badges on Monday and then had to put them back right back on. We’ve had three killed in the first 36 days of the year,” Montrose County Sheriff Rick Dunlap said. “We’re starting to feel like our mourning bands on our badges is becoming a permanent adornment, and that’s really troubling,” Hinsdale County Sheriff Ron Bruce, who as a former state trooper in Arizona, has himself been involved in four different shooting incidents.

Training cannot prevent random violence against officers, but the deaths of Flick, along with the Jan. 24 death of Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy Heath Gumm and the Dec. 31 death of Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Zackari Parrish, highlight officer safety steps. “We think our officer safety is really strong. We try to impress on our people in needs to be paramount in their minds,” said Bruce, who heads a small agency. In the Colorado Springs incident, four officers were shot — Hinsdale County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t have that many officers working at a time. “We handle things by ourselves. We don’t have any choice in the matter. We train in doing just that,” he said. When necessary, the peace officer on duty can call in others from their day off; Bruce also has trained volunteers. Many times, though, the person on duty is handling calls for the 1,100 square mile county alone. Hinsdale County, with its low population base, is less likely than El Paso County to have significant incidents — but the risk is there. About a week ago, Bruce found himself on a remote highway, dealing with a mental subject. “He put his 1-ton van in reverse and rammed the front of my cruiser,” Bruce recounted. The man then allegedly barricaded himself in the vehicle and, when reinforcements from the Colorado State Patrol and off-duty deputies arrived, fled. “He jumped off the side of the mountain,” Bruce said. The man slid down the side in the snow, got up, brushed himself off and gave officers “the double finger” before taking off, the sheriff said. Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee and Montrose Police Chief Tom Chinn said they’ve noticed more people willing to physically engage officers. “We’ve had eight police officers who have been assaulted since Jan. 1,” Chinn said. “They’ve been minor assaults — officers kicked, officers spat on — but we’ve seen an increase in attacks on our police officers.” In just one such incident, a man reportedly experiencing mental health issues allegedly went for an officer’s gun. She was injured in the struggle to retain her weapon; another officer reportedly was kicked. Last year, a man was also accused of attempting to disarm an officer who pursued him over a shoplifting complaint. He pleaded to a lesser offense. Growing concern The deaths of Parrish and Gumm were on Delta County See LAWMEN page A3

With the entrance and exit both blocked off to the Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors building on Tuesday, a police and Homeland Security Investigations officer stand out front during the execution of a search warrant. (Sydney Warner/ Montrose Daily Press)

FBI mum on funeral home raid

•Police: Warrant served •Feds decline comment •Mortuary suspended from coroner’s rotation

Editor’s note: The Montrose Daily Press first published information about this situation Tuesday on its website, montrosepress.com. This is a full story with new information. BY KATHARHYNN HEIDELBERG KATHARHYNNH@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

The Federal Bureau of Investigation served a warrant at Sunset Mesa Funeral Home on Tuesday, the Montrose Police Department confirmed, but the FBI was closed-lipped about the action. “Unfortunately, the FBI cannot provide comment at this time,” spokeswoman Amy Sanders said Tuesday. “A court-authorized search warrant was executed there today as part of an ongoing investigation,” U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Jeff Dorschner said. “No arrests were made and because of the ongoing nature of the investigation, no additional comment can be given.” The funeral home is operated by Megan Hess, who also operates Donor Services Inc., a business that procures donated human remains for the purposes of medical research. The businesses were spotlighted in a report by Reuters in January, as part of its series looking into socalled “body brokers.”

• Influenza cases double yearly average • Around 40 Montrose residents have been hospitalized • Montrose Memorial Hospital limits visitors during flu season BY ANDREW KISER ANDREWK@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

Montrose County isn’t immune to the flu outbreak that is plaguing the country, as about 40 people have been admitted to Montrose Memorial Hospital with the illness since November, according to officials. Linda Vandehey, communicable disease nurse for Montrose County, confirmed the number of people getting admitted to the hospital is higher than in past years. “It’s been more than normal,” Vandehey said. As a result, MMH has put

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The report at the time cited former employees who said the FBI was investigating Hess’ alleged business practices. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies confirmed previously it is investigating nine complaints made to the state but has not made any findings or taken any action against Sunset Mesa, whose licenses at last report were in good standing. The state of Colorado does not regulate body donations; DORA’s investigation is separate from the FBI’s activity. FBI interest in the business was not confirmed until Tuesday, when agents and others showed up at the Merchant Drive location to, according to Montrose Police Cmdr. Gene Lillard, serve a warrant with assistance from his agency. The MPD was called to help control traffic and assist with the warrant, Lillard said, but he could not provide more details because it is not a police department case. Lillard referred requests for information to the FBI. “That’s their baby,” he said by phone, as at the scene Tuesday, one officer stood with a man wearing a jacket emblazoned with federal agency acronyms. Other agents could be glimpsed around the property. Hess did not immediately return calls and emails left Tuesday. The mortuary’s website was not functioning that afternoon. In January, Hess told the Montrose Daily Press the Reuters report — which contained lurid details about the way the remains of one man were allegedly handled, as well the alleged extraction of gold fillings from other bodies — was attempting to tarnish her

restrictions on people coming to the facility, according its community engagement director, Leann Tobin. “We do have limited visitors here,” Tobin said. “We’re not allowing children in to visit because they are a higher risk of spreading the flu.” She explained kids have a higher chance of spreading germs because they don’t wash their hands well or cover their coughs. Montrose isn’t the only community dealing with the illness. Vandehey said Colorado this flu season has double the average of diagnoses compared to previous years. “It has been a very bad flu season this year,” Vandehey said, noting there have been around 2,600 such cases of the disease in the state. A higher than normal number of cases has been found in each state except Hawaii, she noted. National reports have stated there have been a number of deaths caused by the flu. Vandehey said what makes this year so much harsher than the recent past is due to the type of virus: H1N3. This kind of flu hits harder on younger and older people, she noted. Good handwashing and anti-viral

face masks are ways to combat getting sick, as is getting the flu shot. “We still encourage people who have not been vaccinated, to get vaccinated,” she said. “Even though, the vaccine is not as strong is some cases, we still encourage people to vaccinated because even if you do get the flu, you don’t get all the complications that come with it, including, death.” She stressed the importance of getting the shot because of some of the dangers that could come with getting the flu. One of those issues that can arise is getting pneumonia, Vandehey said. “It’s bad because you can’t breathe,” Vandehey said. “Your lungs fill (with fluid) and that’s why many of these people are being hospitalized; it’s due to the pneumonia.” And though we’re inching closer to spring, nobody is out of the woods yet. February and March are big months for the flu, Vandehey said. Fever, chills, a cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue are all symptoms of the flu, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Vomiting and See SICK page A4

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reputation, and that if the FBI was investigating, it was news to her. “Donor Services does not charge for any donation, only the disposition of the remains (burial or cremation), following donation through a funeral home,” Hess said at the time. The specimens go to medical education facilitators that study with universities, colleges and researchers, and, she said previously, the donation process is “made clear at the time of arrangements.” In light of Tuesday’s developments, Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors has been suspended from the coroner’s call rotation for the collection of deceased individuals. “It has come to my attention that your business is being investigated by state and/or federal agencies,” Dr. Thomas Canfield, Montrose County coroner, wrote in a letter to Hess, a public document that was being sent by certified mail. The county provided a copy to the Montrose Daily Press. “I further understand that you are not available on cellphone at this time. I feel that as a matter of public trust I must suspend Sunset Mesa in the rotation of calls to mortuaries as is customary in my office.” Canfield previously explained to the Montrose Daily Press that in order to be on the rotation, a mortuary must be readily available by phone and abide by various administrative rules he has in place. Until Tuesday, Sunset Mesa was in the rotation. Canfield in his letter told Hess to advise him of when final reports or conclusions are available and when she is “eligible again for the rotation.” Katharhynn Heidelberg is an award-winning journalist and the senior writer for the Montrose Daily Press. Follow her on Twitter @kathMDP.

deputies’ minds during a staff meeting just last week, McKee relayed. “Our concerns are over the violence this nation is seeing. Certainly, we’ve experienced more incidents involving officers involved in physical altercations and incidents that involved firearms,” McKee said. “It just seems there is an increased number of times deputies are having to go hands-on with individuals.” Chinn said he believes drugs and mental health issues are playing a role in the uptick in confrontations. Gunnison County Sheriff Rick Besecker said he’s also seen more physical engagement with officers, which he thinks is often driven by intoxicated suspects making threats they wouldn’t otherwise. “What concerns me most is the folks that maybe are doing these things without really any signs of it going that extreme,” he said. Officers are weighing more than their own safety when they respond to calls, too, Besecker added. “They don’t want to overreact,” he said. “They’re second-guessing themselves,” Masters said of officers. “Nobody wants to be the next headline … or the officer that’s dragged through the mud because he shot somebody. Officers are in a very difficult spot these days.” During his tenure, Dunlap has had two deputies shot; luckily, they survived. “You just never know when you walk up to a car or a residence what to expect, but at the same time, you can’t be over-concerned and go walking up with your gun drawn. That’s not the proper way to do it, either,” Dunlap said.

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Masters on Feb. 6 struggled to remember whether three law enforcement deaths in just five weeks had ever occurred in Colorado before. “I don’t recall, in the 40 years I’ve been an officer, three officers being killed (in that timeframe),” Masters said. McKee said the three recent law enforcement deaths are troubling and tragic. “Our thoughts, our prayers certainly go out to family members and to the sheriffs’ offices that are having to work through this. This is a tragic, significant event in their offices, not to mention what the families are having to live with,” he said. The line of duty deaths hit home, particularly to the close-knit community of county sheriffs, Dunlap said. “This needs to stop. I don’t know how you stop it. It’s almost like it’s an all-out war on law enforcement. It seems like it’s every day. It’s unreal.” Katharhynn Heidelberg is an award-winning journalist and the senior writer for the Montrose Daily Press. Follow her on Twitter @kathMDP.

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Police Department lost Sgt. David Kinterknecht in a shooting that injured two other officers. In 1984, Reserve Patrolman Larry McMaster was gunned down during a bar check; a second officer was wounded. “We file those things in the backs of our mind. Hopefully, it’s those things that help police officers realize that things do happen, bad things happen,” Chinn said. “You want your police officers to be able to react to situations when appropriate and you need your police officers not to overreact. It’s a fine line police officers walk every day.” In 1994, Hinsdale County Sheriff Roger Coursey was fatally shot during a traffic stop of suspected bank robbers. “There’s such a shock and despair that cascades through communities when this takes place,” said Besecker, whose agency was among those to step up in the aftermath. “There’s psychological trauma suffered within each agency involved. That just ripples out in the community. I think we are all really shaken when we think of the families. It shakes you to the core.”

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‘Multiple, willful’ violations

State suspends funeral home’s licenses

Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, owned and directed by Megan Hess. One week after the FBI raided Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, the state suspended the Montrose business’ license, Colorado Department of Local Affairs records show. (Sydney Warner/Montrose Daily Press file photo)

Montrose man severely injured; friends ‘in shock’ •Quade in critical condition at St. Mary’s •Vehicle rolled en route to GJ bus station •Victim active with climate lobby, Boy Scouts BY KATHARHYNN HEIDELBERG KATHARHYNNH@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

When Arlyn Macdonald finished lunch with her friend and longtime community activist Wayne Quade on Feb. 11, she expected he would make his way to the bus station in Grand Junction to pick up someone in need of a ride there. But Quade, a retired U.S. Forest Service employee who is heavily involved with the Boy Scouts of America and the Citizens Climate Lobby, never made it to the bus depot. About 3:14 p.m. Sunday, his 2005 Jeep Wrangler veered of U.S. 50 near Whitewater. It struck two signs and rolled onto its top, Colorado State Patrol Trooper Joshua Lewis said. Quade, 76, the sole occupant, was wearing his seat belt but was severely injured and taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction. Neither drugs nor alcohol were suspected, and speed is not a factor, Lewis said. Quade has not been cited. “We’re all in shock over it,” said Macdonald, minister of the Spiritual Awareness Center in Montrose. “He had lunch with us. He was going down to pick up somebody from the bus station. He’s always doing kind things for folks.” Macdonald said it was her understanding Quade had to be cut free of the wreckage, some of which still littered the road when she traveled by the spot Monday to see him at St. Mary’s. Quade was responsive and recognized her, she said, but was badly bruised up and could not speak because he is on a respirator. “They think he has a broken neck. They were concerned he might have had a spinal (cut), but when I was there, he was moving his arms and legs, so apparently, that didn’t happen, thank heavens,” Macdonald said. She added she does not know the full extent of Quade’s injuries. See MAN page A3

•Order: Crematory returned concrete to family •Action comes on heels of FBI raid •Sunset Mesa ordered to cease operations Editor’s note: The Montrose Daily Press first published information on this incident on its website,

montrosepress.com, on Feb. 13. This story is debuting in print. Read previously published articles about Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors on montrosepress.com. BY KATHARHYNN HEIDELBERG KATHARHYNNH@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors returned to one grieving family concrete instead of the deceased’s ashes, according to a state order suspending its license. Another decedent’s cremains,

Strong-hearted Montrose man optimistic after stents in major organ •Lucero second time having stents •Doctors worked as a team •Not time to ‘check out’ BY MONICA GARCIA MONICAG@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

When father of five Gabriel Lucero suffered a heart attack in November, it marked the fifth time he almost died. Two of his near-death experiences (he also almost drowned twice and was injured playing on a swing) were heart attacks, the first of which came 16 years ago. After surviving his latest cardiac episode, Lucero said he figured it isn’t his time to “check out” yet. “It doesn’t bug me if I kind of checked out, but it does bug me kind of leaving my family; my tasks aren’t done,” Lucero said, noting his kids joke he has multiple lives. “My family is very important to me and just being there for them and raising them up. That task of being a father is not done yet.” On Nov. 3, Lucero was doing CrossFit when he felt chest pains. Coming home, Lucero told his wife, Vicki, they should go to the hospital as he was showing the classic signs of a heart attack. Once there, everything moved quickly, and doctors were able to save his life. He had been there before. Sixteen years earlier, a 38-year-old Lucero experienced similar symptoms while he was playing basketball. He sat down, and told his team he would watch from the bench, adding he felt like he had swallowed a big jawbreaker. At the time he had recently completed first aid training, so he wondered if he was having a heart attack. Despite not picking up any signs, he decided to play it safe and go to the hospital. Lucero said they did an EKG and chest X-rays, but nothing indicated he was having a heart attack. He was about to be sent home when a nurse said something wasn’t right and asked that another EKG be done. The second EKG showed Lucero was indeed having a heart attack. Because the hospital wasn’t able to treat him, Flight for Life took him over to Grand Junction. At the time Montrose Memorial Hospital couldn’t do much in the way of cardiology, Lucero said. The left anterior artery was blocked, he said. The doctor touched the blockage and Lucero said it dispersed.

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Lining up in front of the monitors showing a heart, Montrose Memorial Hospital’s Tom Smith, Doctor Riley Foreman, Gabriel Lucero, RN Brittney Kor and Radiology Technologist Ty Lewis pose for a photo on Feb. 11 at MMH. (Sydney Warner/Montrose Daily Press)

During an interview at the Montrose Memorial Hospital, Director of Cardiology Services Larry Peeters shows the picture of Gabriel Lucero’s heart prior to surgery. (Sydney Warner/Montrose Daily Press)

Although there was no build up, as the blockage was a clot that formed around a flap of cholesterol that fell down, they decided to put in a stent as a precautionary measure, he explained. Nowadays, Lucero stays fairly fit and maintains a healthy diet, but he said his family health history has worked against him. For example, his father and brother had to have open heart surgery. When he entered the hospital in November, he thought for sure he would be next to recieve the surgery. Lucero was able to get to the hospital within minutes of feeling the chest pain. He thought he would have to be transferred to Grand Junction, but he tried not to think about that possibility. “I was trying to stay calm, I didn’t want to put any other stress on myself,” Lucero said. But before anyone gets sent to Grand

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when analyzed, were inconsistent with what the individual was wearing when he or she came into the care of the Montrose business, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies’ Division of Professions and Occupations found, per its Monday order that suspended both funeral home and cremation licenses first issued for Sunset Mesa in 2010. The order of summary suspension came less than one week after the See VIOLATIONS page A5

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Junction, a procedure to try and open the artery is attempted. MMH does everything short of open heart surgery, Dr. Riley Foreman explained. Aside from angioplasty and stent implantations, the hospital cardiology department does pacemaker implantations, cardiac catheterizations, aneurysm repairs and opening up of various arteries, he said. Foreman, who treated Lucero, said he has done thousands of these type of procedures. When someone comes into the hospital with chest pain a number of tests are run. If the pain is acute, doctors would look at if there are changes in an EKG and blood work (cardiac markers/ enzymes). Lucero’s procedure was an angioplasty and stents, Foreman said. This was the chosen treatment because Lucero was having chest pain, showed a small amount of damage to his heart and his left anterior descending artery was completely blocked, the doctor added. The left anterior descending artery is a very important vessel, Foreman said. It is often times referred to as “the widow maker.” “It’s a more dangerous artery to have closed than some of the others,” Foreman said. Lucero first had to have a coronary angiogram, which is a test to find the blockage using a catheter, Foreman said. The angiogram will show if there is a severe or partial blockage and this See STRONG page A3

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FBI showed up in Montrose with search warrants for Sunset Mesa. The federal agency does not comment on ongoing investigations and has not said why the warrants were issued. The state’s order said that in some cases, Sunset Mesa cremated people without issuing disposition permits and in yet another case, embalmed a decedent without permission. The state further said Sunset Mesa failed to maintain required cremation records for at least five years and to maintain the final disposition records of human remains for at least seven. Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors and an associated business, Donor Services, were the subject of an explosive Reuters report in January concerning “body brokering.” Megan Hess operated both the funeral home and Donor Services, obtaining through the latter donated bodies for medical research. Hess previously denied information in the Reuters report and said Donor Services provided an important component of medical research. The state does not regulate businesses such as Donor Services, but at the time of last week’s FBI raid, it was investigating nine complaints lodged against Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors. “The Office of Funeral Homes and Crematories has issued a summary suspension to Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, immediately ceasing its ability to practice as a funeral establishment or crematory under Colorado law, pending commencement of formal disciplinary proceedings,” Lee Rasizer,

permit; cremated another person before getting a disposition permit, and embalmed another individual “without permission of decedent’s next of kin.” The state also found Sunset Mesa did not include contract language that directs people to DORA if they have questions. The director of the Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration, through McGovern, ordered Sunset Mesa to cease and desist from funerary work or cremation, pending completion of disciplinary proceedings. The director found “that the public health, safety or welfare imperatively requires emergency action and/or respondent (Sunset Mesa) is guilty of multiple and willful violations of the Mortuary Science Code,” the order of suspension concludes. Further proceedings will determine whether Sunset Mesa’s registrations to practice as a funeral home and crematory should be subject to further action, Rasizer said. “The suspension will remain in effect until final resolution of the matter or until replaced by further order of the division director,” he said. DORA does not have jurisdiction or regulatory authority over Donor Services, Rasizer added. The state’s Monday action comes on the heels of the Montrose County coroner’s decision last week to remove the business from his mortuary rotation list. Katharhynn Heidelberg is an award-winning journalist and the senior writer for the Montrose Daily Press. Follow her on Twitter @kathMDP.

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spokesman for DORA’s Division of Professions and Occupations, said Feb. 13. The order of suspension says Hess purchased Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors in 2011 from Greg Huffer, whose affiliation with the business then ceased. Hess did not, however, notify the director of the Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration of this fact, the order said, nor did she appoint a “qualified designee” for her business’ licenses. The document goes on to state the remains of a person, identified as “FC,” were analyzed upon being returned to next of kin. “The cremains were found to be concrete,” the document says. And, “on or about” the day of the FBI raid, “the Office of Investigations observed bags of dry concrete/cement at respondent’s registered location.” The document also says Sunset Mesa was initially unable to locate the cremains of another individual, identified as GH. Upon receiving remains labeled “GH,” the person’s family had the ashes examined. “The cremains were found to weigh less than is to be expected for the decedent’s height and weight,” Karen M. McGovern, deputy director of Legal Affairs for the Division of Professions and Occupations, wrote in the order. The analyst found remnants of a watch, rivets and metal zipper in the ashes — but when Sunset Mesa had claimed the body, GH had been wearing pajamas without zippers or rivets, and had not been wearing a watch, per the order. Sunset Mesa further cremated five more individuals without the issuance of a disposition

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Heartbreaking defeat in Montrose

montrosepress.com | Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Sunset Mesa Funeral Home fallout

NOT AT PEACE Residents question returned cremains

School district plans for less long weekends next year Schedule change aims to improve classroom time and more •School calendar changes yearly •Scheill: more consistent education •School starts late August

•Families mortuary served express concern •State shut down funeral home last week •Cremation industry explains standards

BY MONICA GARCIA

BY KATHARHYNN HEIDELBERG

MONICAG@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

KATHARHYNNH@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

Jerry Espinoza Jr. thought his father was at rest. Now, he said, he’s not so certain what the family received from Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors is, in fact, his father’s remains. Espinoza is not alone.

“It hurts, more than anything.” Jerry Espinoza Jr. Resident Since the FBI served warrants on the Montrose mortuary, and since the state suspended its licenses — in part because concrete mix was returned to one family — a number of families who had loved ones cremated through Sunset Mesa say they want the ashes they received tested. One man said he is considering legal action. “It hurts, more than anything,” said Espinoza, whose father, Jerry Sr., died in 2014. “It’s my father. I’m not very happy at all about it. I will be really (angry) if this is concrete and not his ashes.” Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors and a second business, Donor Services Inc., which procured donated human remains for research purposes, were operated by Megan Hess. The businesses fell under heavy public scrutiny in January, when Reuters published allegations about the mortuary’s practices as part of the publication’s series on “body brokers.” Hess denied as false the information in the story, which she said was an attempt to tarnish her reputation. Donor Services, she said, only charged for the disposition of donated bodies, and not for the donation itself. Hess also said the donation process was “made very clear.” She later also questioned the claims of one of the people

Chris Kraschuk holds up the two urns he said he was given from Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors on a recent afternoon. Kraschuk said he now questions if they contain his parents’ cremains. (Sydney Warner/Montrose Daily Press)

The death certificates Chris Kraschuk said he received for his parents. (Sydney Warner/Montrose Daily Press)

quoted in the Reuters story and provided a signed release of liability document. The FBI arrived at Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors on

Merchant Drive Feb. 6. The agency does not comment on ongoing investigations and the nature of the See PEACE page A3

Montrose County School District educators won’t have to worry about losing teaching momentum in the classroom much longer. A revised calendar for the 2018-’19 school year with a later start date was recently approved by the Montrose County School Board, which will cut down on numerous long weekends and provide more constant education, MCSD Superintendent Stephen Schiell said. “It’s about helping students learn and not having huge breaks,” Schiell said. “It helps with family planning, it helps with providing more of a summer for everybody and we still end at the same time.” The idea to adjust the calendar was based on concerns from teachers and families, Schiell said, citing the frequency of days off that break up teaching momentum, child care needs for families, staff wanting a full summer off/ having to request days soon after the school year has started and the goal of ending around the same time as previous years. School Board President Tom West said the adjustments to the calendar happen every year. This year a committee was used, he added, referring to

Schiell for comment. This year’s nine-member Calendar Committee included two school board members, teachers, support staff, the facilities director and early childhood director, Schiell said. This is the first time board members have been directly involved with the calendar, he added. “Board members involved is very important, and they’re the ones accountable to our community,” Schiell said, adding he also has board members involved in things such as negotiating contracts. The only thing that is constant with a school calendar is that it isn’t going to be the same every year, Schiell said. This upcoming school year will begin roughly a week later than in 2017, teachers start Aug. 20, secondary schools will start Aug. 23 and elementary school will start Aug. 30. Although there is a new start state for schools, the end date will remain the same (May 23). Students will still get off a week for Thanksgiving, roughly two weeks around Christmas and a spring break in March, the superintendent noted, but can expect less threeand four-day weekends. “For children, it’s the inconsistency of so many breaks,” Schiell said. “You get teaching momentum, the next thing you know you’re off for three or four days…” See SCHOOL page A4

Special Olympics basketball games coming up •Event planned for Saturday •Local law enforcement participating •Other events planned BY ARLYN MACDONALD EDITOR@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

Enthusiastic fans will fill the stands of the old Montrose High School gym when athletes from the Montrose Special

Olympic teams face off against squads of law enforcement officers at the popular Special Olympics basketball games on Feb. 24. Tip-off for the first game begins at 10 a.m. This is the 14th annual basketball tournament for both teams and is part of the extensive Special Olympics sports program at the high school. “We are a very involved group,” said Carolyn

Rettig, Special Olympics coordinator for the Montrose County School District. Rettig added she has been working with Special Olympics for 17 years, “ever since I came here.” “Please join us for this great community event and we really appreciate law enforcement doing this,” Retting said. Montrose Police Cmdr. Gene Lillard, who will be

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taking part in the game Saturday, said this event is not only fun but also a great cause. Law enforcement has taken part in these games for a number of years, he said, adding the law enforcement team has lost several years in a row. “That’s what we try to do here at the police department is the connectivity between us and the citizens that we serve,” Lillard

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said. “We enjoy those types of things ... It’s good to work with them and show them that we care. We enjoy the camaraderie and they thoroughly enjoy it as much as we do.” The driving force behind the law enforcement team is School Resource Officer Trevis Booth. This year the team will include 15-20 individuals from the MPD, Colorado State Patrol, Montrose County

Sheriff ’s Office, Olathe Police Department and Ouray Police Department. With this amount of players, Booth explained they usually break off into four teams and rotate out every quarter. The law enforcement squad will be playing two games with Special Olympics teams — a non-competitive one and a competitive one, Booth said See GAMES page A13

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where this person is at every stage and be prepared to serve the family and treat them with respect at every stage,â&#x20AC;? said Kemmis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is egregious,â&#x20AC;? she said, again referring to the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings with respect to Sunset Mesa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But there are plenty of instances of doubt and concern. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the No. 1 questions families ask: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;How do I know?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; You trust the experts. When that trust is broken, it casts doubt across every provider, not just bad actors. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terrible. There are great funeral homes and funeral directors in Colorado.â&#x20AC;? Espinoza said he plans to test his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ashes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just wrong to do that to a family, period â&#x20AC;&#x201D; anybody â&#x20AC;Ś They need to be tested. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no good. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hoping they are (ashes), but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know,â&#x20AC;? he said. DORAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office of Funeral Homes and Crematories is accepting information about Sunset Mesa at dora_funeral homesandcrematories@ state.co.us. The state agency does not conduct forensic testing of cremains. Katharhynn Heidelberg is an award-winning journalist and the senior writer for the Montrose Daily Press. Follow her on Twitter @kathMDP.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t imagine why they would promise the return of cremated remains and think they can get away with returning another substance,â&#x20AC;? she said, referring to the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings in the order of suspension for Sunset Mesa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is thankfully rare and illegal in any case.â&#x20AC;? Legislation to tighten regulations could be in the works. State Sen. Don Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, owned and directed by Megan Coram, R-Montrose, said he is working with regulaHess. One week after the FBI raided Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, the state suspended the Montrose businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; licenses, tory officials, as well as with institutions that use donated Colorado Department of Local Affairs, according to records. Local residents now have concerns regarding their loved onesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; human remains, in drafting cremains. (Sydney Warner/Montrose Daily Press file photo) a bill related to both body Cremated remainsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; aparrangements and over aldonations and cremation pearance can vary and are legedly incorrect informapractices. usually on a spectrum of tion on his death certificate. Kemmis recommends very light gray to dark gray, Cressler has not been inpeople considering donating Kemmis explained. formed of the outcome of human bodies for research The container in which a her DORA complaint. ask how the coordinating orperson is cremated, as well She said the family had ganization assures the return as what he or she is wearagreed to donate Haroldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of cremated remains. Some ing, plus any keepsakes, can body for research. organizations that accept affect the appearance of huâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Our expectations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and body donations do not reman ashes. my dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expectations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; turn cremains once research In essence, cremains are were not what happened,â&#x20AC;? on the body is complete, but pulverized bone fragments, Cressler said. these state that information Kemmis said. The family is now preupfront, she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not fireplace ash. paring for the unthinkable. Facilities that do agree to Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not sand,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve decided weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going return cremains are to make It is technically possible to open it (urn),â&#x20AC;? she said, to sure each part of the body see if whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inside resembles for metal substances from is identified during every one cremation to remain in concrete. stage of the process, Kemmis the crematorium and make Such doubts are comadded. it into another personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ashes mon, even in instancCrematories and funeral â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but that is why removing es when a mortuary is not homes should always be able metals left behind between under scrutiny, explained to explain their protocols for cremations is among best Barbara Kemmis, executive handling the deceased, she practices, she added. The director of the Cremation said. fact that any cremains may Association of North â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone involved in be returned with metal in America. the process needs to know them, let alone visible remâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the No. 1 question nants of items, is a problem people have,â&#x20AC;? said Kemmis, for her. who is based in Illinois. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It casts doubt,â&#x20AC;? said The crematory industry uses a chain of identification Kemmis. The primary substance in process, starting with the human cremains should be place of death, through the calcium phosphate; consisfuneral professional who is tency of cremains can vary, taking a body to a mortuary or crematory, the crematory, but usually, processing results in pieces no larger than and finally, the person who one-eighth of an inch, she has the legal right to receive said. the cremains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In a state like Colorado Paperwork with a unique that is largely unregulated, identification number is asfuneral professionals volunsigned and follows the detarily adopt and regularly ceased through the entire implement these best pracprocess, per Kemmis. tices,â&#x20AC;? Kemmis added. At any point during the Kemmis said it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;shockprocess, survivors have the ingâ&#x20AC;? Sunset Mesa Funeral right to ask where their Directors reportedly reloved one is â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and to returned concrete mix, especeive an answer, she said. cially given past high-profile Further, the paperwork cases of crematories mishanshould back up each step of dling remains. the process. XNLV372466

investigation has not been confirmed. Hess did not respond to requests for comment after the raid, and her website went offline about the same time. The following week, on Feb. 12, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies summarily suspended Hessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; funeral home and crematory licenses, citing â&#x20AC;&#x153;multiple, willfulâ&#x20AC;? violations of the Mortuary Science Code. The state found that in one instance, the crematory passed off concrete mix as cremains and in another, returned cremains containing remnants of a watch and other items the decedent had not been wearing when taken to the mortuary. The state also found failures with respect to disposition permits and that one person was embalmed without the permission of his or her next of kin. The state says 11 open complaints against the mortuary remain, with information unavailable unless and until disciplinary action is issued. Calls to the last known attorney for Hess were not returned. Calls to Hessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cellphone resulted in the automated message she is â&#x20AC;&#x153;not accepting calls at this time.â&#x20AC;? Emails sent to her last known personal email since the FBI raid have not generated a response. Last week, people could be observed at the funeral home, apparently packing up, as a man began removing the Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors sign. He said Hess wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t taking visitors. News of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings has some of the former mortuary customers rattled. Chris Kraschuk, who moved to the area to care for his parents a few years back, used Sunset Mesa to handle his mother Ruthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrangements two years ago, and again last year, when his father, Roger, died. He said Sunset Mesa mentioned donating Rogerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

body right away. The understanding was Rogerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body would be donated to science, and his cremated remains returned, Kraschuk said. The funeral home returned urns to him after both Ruth and Roger died. Although at the time, Kraschuk said he â&#x20AC;&#x153;assumed they are cremains.â&#x20AC;? But now, Kraschuk said he is no longer sure. He said he is in touch with an attorney. Since the news reports, Espinoza and his family also question whether the cremains that were returned to them are those of Jerry Sr. The bulk of his cremains were spread at a location near Lizard Head, but some went into sharing urns or small vials for different family members. In wake of the recent reports, Jerry Jr.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister sent him a photo of the ashes she was given. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can see a red rock. She cleaned one up and said it was more like a rock, not a bone,â&#x20AC;? said Espinoza. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I got ashes of a friend when he passed, and I compared them. The ashes from him, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of black spots in there and it acts like ash in a fireplace.â&#x20AC;? His fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ashes are â&#x20AC;&#x153;just all gray,â&#x20AC;? which leaves Espinoza suspicious, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From what my brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shown me, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even look close to what ashes should look like,â&#x20AC;? Espinozaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother, Bobby, said. The family is â&#x20AC;&#x153;pretty concernedâ&#x20AC;? about what was returned to them, Joelina Espinoza, the deceasedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter-in-law, said. She detailed other concerns the family had with their experience at the mortuary. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to figure out what we need to do â&#x20AC;Ś Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re willing to get that stuff tested if we need to,â&#x20AC;? she said. Judy Cressler said she also now has doubts as to whether her father Harold Cresslerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remains were returned to the family as they should have been. Harold Cressler died in 2015. His daughter said she filed a complaint with the Department of Regulatory Agencies against Sunset Mesa in 2016, over the handling of her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

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Before raid, questions over mortuary practices •Complaints: Families left wondering loved ones’ fates •State documents detail allegations •Disposition permits worried officials BY KATHARHYNN HEIDELBERG KATHARHYNNH@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

When a Montrose woman died in 2015, her family’s wishes were that she be donated to Science Care in Aurora. But, according to state documents, as a Grand Junction funeral home was halfway to Aurora with the deceased, Noni Hawkins, Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors called to

say it would be taking over. Complaints received by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and other state entities shed some light onto ongoing concerns over reportedly mishandled remains and “body brokering,” even as the FBI remains tight-lipped about its own investigation. The federal investigation ramped up in February when the agency served search warrants at Sunset Mesa, whose owner, Megan Hess, also operated Donor Services Inc., a company that procured human remains for research. Hess has since closed both Montrose businesses and, under a stipulated agreement through

which she did not admit the state’s allegations, permanently surrendered her funeral and crematory registrations. Hawkins’ case came to the state’s attention when, on Oct. 23, 2015, Grand Valley Funeral Homes reported to DORA that Hess contacted it to say she would complete the body donation and cremate Hawkins. Grand Valley’s representative said in his complaint that is mortuary told Hess she needed to refile the death certificate and list the correct place of disposition, since Grand Valley had listed Science Care. This was required before any other form of disposition could See MORTUARY page 3

Before the FBI investigation into practices at Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, the state received complaints and concerns from the public along with at least one other mortuary. (Justin Tubbs/ Montrose Daily Press)

MCSD moves to hire safety and security director

Weekend of Wings

•School board votes to create new postion •Decision made during Sept. 11 meeting •New-hire would decide on expulsions BY ANDREW KISER ANDREWK@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

Topgun instructor among bigname pilots at Tribute to Aviation STAFF REPORT

Top: A boy hops off a helicopter with help from an Airforce service member during Tribute to Aviation at Montrose Regional Airport Saturday. Middle: Col. Tyler Ferguson of the Commemorative Air Force stands on the wing of a WWII TBM Avenger Saturday. Bottom: Five-year-old Max Ventura shakes hands with Marine Sgt. Charlie Mendoza at Tribute to Aviation on Saturday. (Justin Tubbs/ Montrose Daily Press)

As hundreds streamed over the tarmac at Montrose Regional Airport’s Tribute to Aviation this past weekend, one child had a question. The young girl asked: Can girls fly the Navy’s Tomcat? Yes, replied Dave “Bio” Baranek, a retired commander of an F-14 Tomcat squadron said — at least, they could if the Navy still used the plane. “The answer to that is yes,” said Baranek, the author of “Topgun Days” and “Before Topgun Days,” the former of whom discusses his and the Navy’s work in the making of the famous Tom Cruise movie, “Top Gun.” “For many years, only men got to fly as Navy pilots. About 25 years ago, they started to let (women) fly. Now there are (women) who do Topgun and all of that,” Baranek told the little girl Saturday. Baranek, whose eyesight made him a “backseater” (a navigator), went on to become a flight commander and Topgun instructor. Later in his career, he had female pilots and backseaters, he said. “They fit right in. They had been well-trained. It shows how times change,” Baranek said. Baranek was among many esteemed guests at the popular tribute event to acknowledge and celebrate the role women have played in aviation, since the days of Ireland’s Lilian Bland, and America’s celebrated Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman.

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The Montrose County School District’s focus on school safety has been kicked up a notch after the school board voted Sept. 11 to create a new position keyed-in mainly on security. The director of safety and security, once hired, will manage training, threat assessment, physical and personnel security and will be charged with keeping MCSD staff and students safe. The school board voted unanimously on these job duties, 5-0 (school board members Jeff Bachman and Stephen Bush were absent for the meeting). According to the job description on the school district’s website, the new position will serve as the school district liaison to local, regional, state and federal law enforcement and fire departments. “We’re finding a lot more districts through the state and country are implementing a position like that to address some of the issues that have risen in the last year,” school board president Tom West said, citing the Parkland, Florida high school shooting in February as one that’s been a concern for the board. “It’s become more evident we need someone who’s going to be on top of these things in the regard of school safety.” The director of safety and security won’t start until the 2019-2020 school year, since the position was just approved on Sept. 11. Possible creation of the job was first discussed during the board’s Aug. 28 meeting, which was presented by Montrose High School assistant principal Jim Pavlich and MCSD Superintendent Stephen Schiell. The position will also be an administrative role, as the person who holds the title will be in charge of disciplinary expulsions, West said. The person who holds the job will also oversee crisis communications, establish radio procedures on the MCSD’s UHF and 800mhz networks and conduct radio checks. The position additionally aims to create safety and training standards for the district and organize both the ALICE (Alert-Lockdown-Inform-CounterEvacuate) program and SchoolSafe communications platform.

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be done; the death certificate also needed amending. Anthony Garcia of Grand Valley wrote he thought Hess’ businesses had taken care of the paperwork change, but on Oct. 22, the Montrose County Coroner’s Office called for a copy of the death certificate. When Grand Valley contacted Science Care, representatives were told the research facility had not received Hawkins — but her family reported having received her ashes already, according to Garcia’s letter. “(Hess) stated she was waiting on the state to change or amend the death certificate and disposition. She stated that NH was still at her location,” the letter alleges. “We at Grand Valley Funeral Homes are trying to make sure the family was taken care of … We feel bad for the family. We thought proper processes were being followed by the funeral home who took the remains of (Hawkins) into their care on processing a correct death certificate and changing place and location of disposition,” Garcia wrote. Grand Valley’s concerns are among those to have been raised with the state since 2014, according to documents the Montrose Daily Press received from DORA in response to its earlier public records request. Daniel Shaffer, the attorney who represented Hess regarding the state’s complaints, said on Monday he is not able to comment on the matter. The August stipulation, as well as other state documents, alleged Hess gave some families concrete mix instead of ashes; returned incorrect cremains to a family that now is suing her; cremated five people without issuing a disposition permit as required; cremated a woman whose body was being donated to

Counties’ questions Details from the cases cited show that since 2014, other funeral homes and officials from multiple counties raised questions over disposition permits. In 2014, the Colorado Office of the State Registrar of Vital statistics informed DORA’s Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration of “issues with timely registration” and “concern” that Sunset Mesa wasn’t obtaining disposition permits before cremating or burying bodies. “This is evident in the documentation that states Sunset Mesa either never requested a disposition permit from the local vital records office, or that in a few cases, one was requested more than 20-30 days after the date of death,” Ronald S. Hyman, the state registrar at the time, wrote. He included documentation from county registrars in Montrose, Delta, Dolores and Mesa counties, as well as then-Delta County Coroner Kevin Lucy. Delta County listed three instances in which “no disposition permit” was issued and one that was issued and signed at the registrar’s counter. In a 2013 death in which no permit was issued, the decedent’s cremains “were buried prior to the local office receiving the death certificate,” the Delta County Clerk’s Office reported in 2014. Lucy wrote to Hyman’s office alleging the widow of another decedent received her husband’s ashes mere hours after Lucy had signed the man’s death certificate. “My concern is that he was obviously cremated without a permit,” Lucy wrote. “I know that Sunset Mesa Mortuary is also involved in body

donation. My concern is that there may be some irregularities in the process for this.” Montrose County’s Vital Statistics listed five instances in which a permit was issued but “not returned/signed.” The permits included in the documentation state it is unlawful allow burial or other disposition until a final disposition permit has been issued, which in turn requires a death certificate. All permits must be signed by the “sexton,” later described as crematory or cemetery official, or, when there is no such full-time person, a funeral director. The signed form is to go to the county registrar within five days after disposition.

‘Do you know where he is?’ People who used Sunset Mesa also filed complaints: • The family of Harold Dean Cressler on April 16, 2016, said he was to be donated to science, with the understanding he would possibly be cremated. However, Hess incorrectly stated on Cressler’s death certificate he had not served in the military or graduated high school, the family’s complaint says. Cressler’s widow demanded a correct death certificate. Hess, the family alleged, tried to charge the family to fix her own errors. Then, according to the complaint, Hess “dropped the bomb” —she still had Cressler’s cremains. The family initially believed it had been able to take those ashes home, but Cressler’s daughter Judy in February told the Daily Press they were no longer certain whether they received his ashes. “I am getting them tested,” Judy Cressler said Monday, adding she doubts what she received are cremains. She said she does not think her father’s wishes were adhered to, with respect to donating his body. Cressler also claims the FBI told her Harold’s body was

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sold, but she could not say more because of the ongoing investigation. “I feel it (state) had taken a look at all these other complaints and acted on it, things wouldn’t have happened to him that did (happen),” she said. • On Oct. 20, 2016, family members of one Raymond Hutt complained to the state that his body was embalmed before they had even arrived at Sunset Mesa to make funeral arrangements. “When we questioned Megan about the embalming she said the embalming charge would be removed from the bill with the stipulation that no one would be allowed to open the casket or view the body! She stated that it was an assumption on her part that we would want the embalming done and that she was ‘trying to make it right.’ She also stated that embalming was “their standard procedure.” • The family of Gerald “Cactus” Hollenback, who are now suing Hess, filed a complaint with the state last December. They became suspicious after an initial trip to collect his cremains ended with mortuary staff telling his widow they could not locate Hollenback. In a recorded phone call the state provided as part of the Daily Press’ records request, Hollenback’s stepdaughter Diana McBride later spoke with Hess. Hess can be heard repeatedly assuring McBride the whole matter was a miscommunication; funeral home staff had not expected Cactus’ widow, Shirley, the week prior, when Hess was out of town. “Do you know where he is?” McBride asked Hess at one point, later also asking: “Where is my stepfather located right now?” “At my funeral home, which is Sunset Mesa,” Hess replied. McBride, in the phone call, said Shirley overheard staff

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 A3 the week prior, when they discussed being unable to locate Cactus, which was “disconcerting.” McBride can be heard asking Hess about verification systems. Hess replied that she has a tracking system. Hess later delivered a container of ashes to the woman’s home, apologizing and saying “it’s my fault,” over and over, according to the complaint. Testing later showed the ashes contained pieces of metal and watch parts; Hollenback was transported to Sunset Mesa wearing only pajamas, according to the complaint as well as the state’s

findings in its orders and the family’s allegations in the civil suit. • In response to a January Reuters story about Sunset Mesa and the alleged practice of body brokering, the widow of another decedent — Francis Marlin Carver — had his ashes assessed at a Delta funeral home. Her “worst fears were confirmed,” the woman wrote: Cement was suspected. “I don’t know what they did with my husband’s body, but I want to know! … Please take this matter into your hands,” the deceased’s wife wrote.

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montrosepress.com | Tuesday, September 25, 2018

‘Oh, I’ve known Coz forever’ MRD’s Sisneros honored for over 40 years of service

BY ANDREW KISER ANDREWK@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

When Cosme ‘Coz’ Sisneros first started with the Montrose Recreation District in 1975, he was originally hired to irrigate softball fields and mow lawns. “When you want to get your foot in the door that’s what you want to do,” said Sisneros, the current MRD recreation programming and operations manager. “You don’t turn anything down.” Sisneros lives by those words. He’s had several different jobs during his 43 years with the MRD ranging from installing sprinklers, to mowing lawns, to organizing youth and adult sports programs to umpiring games. The second full-time employee for MRD, Sisneros’ long tenure hasn’t

gone unnoticed, as now his name appears on the Montrose Community Recreation Center basketball court. Sisneros — with his wife and two children by his side — was honored for his 43 years of service during a court dedication ceremony Monday evening in front of a crowd of around 75. Now when visitors play a given sport, they’ll play atop the Coz Sisneros Court. “What I enjoy most is family, and this is what the recreation is all about,” said Sisneros, who’s a Western Slope native and Olathe High School graduate. “It’s (a place) to provide activities and programs for family and serving the community. That’s my passion. That’s my inspiration. … To have my family around and to receive this award, it means a lot to me.” MRD Executive Director Ken Sherbenou credited much of the rec district’s success to Sisneros’ efforts. He said Sisneros created the youth soccer and basketball programs and has helped build the MCRC and Montrose Field House. “His contribution will always be

(Above) The Montrose Community Recreation staff uncovering the Coz Sisneros Court dedication on Monday in honor of Cosme ‘Coz’ Sisneros’ 43 years with the MRD. Sisneros drew in a crowd of about 75 people to celebrate with him. (Right ) Coz Sisneros listening Monday to his coworker talk about their experience working together. (Sydney Warner/Montrose Daily Press)

with the rec district,” Sherbenou said. “He has seen it in the eyes of his staff members, his colleagues who were See DEDICATION page 4

A litany of grief

2 dead in Hotchkiss shooting

Families speak out in funeral home probe

STAFF REPORT

• Those reportedly affected by Sunset Mesa met in Delta • Claims of body parts sold • Grievers left without closure KATHARHYNN HEIDELBERG KATHARHYNNH@MONTROSEPRESS.COM

The words spoken Saturday contrasted sharply with the beauty of the sunny day, as person after person lined up to share what they say the FBI told them about their deceased loved ones. Chuck Noe: Body sold and listed for sale online. Leroy Gonzales: Arms, legs and head sold. Kathleen Dent, whose final wish was to have her ashes scattered on her parents’ grave: Sold; location unknown. There were also Thomas Hancock, Cherrie Neuendorf, and dozens of others — sold by Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors for plastination, research, or other purposes without permission, their survivors alleged during a ceremony at Delta’s Confluence Park. “When the FBI called me and told me what happened to him, that he’d been dismembered, I literally passed out on the floor,” Freddie Hancock of Montrose said, of getting the news about her husband, Thomas. “I wanted to tell you I’ll pray for every one of these families that have been through this, because it’s a horrible, horrible experience, something you can never get out of your mind. “Even though I know where my husband’s soul is, I know that his body is missing.” The since-closed Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors and the associated Donor Services Inc., operated by Megan Hess in Montrose, are under federal investigation. The state of Colorado separately revoked Hess’ mortuary and crematory registrations under a May stipulation. An attorney representing Hess in the state matter previously declined comment.

Tammy Neil, right, and Helen Gonzalez lost Leroy Gonzalez, in the picture frame, in 2017. They say they discovered, in a meeting with the FBI, Leroy’s remains were sold against their wishes. They are pictured at Confluence Park in Delta Saturday. (Monica Garcia/ Montrose Daily Press)

Although the FBI hasn’t disclosed the nature of its probe, families on Saturday aired their pain. “It was unbelievable,” said Tammy Neil, Gonzales’ daughter. “I had the mindset, oh, it happened to somebody else. It didn’t happen to us. It was really hard when we had the FBI interview and it was point blank — yes it did.” Gonzales, a former uranium miner, died Feb. 22, 2017. After the FBI raided Sunset Mesa Feb. 6 of this year, the family responded to the agency’s questionnaire. Although the cremains the family received from Sunset Mesa are being tested, Neil said the FBI had records about what happened to Leroy. “They did have paperwork that his arms, legs and head were sold without any consent at all,” Neil alleged. Carrying her father’s photo, Neil later took her turn at the microphone. Debbie Schum of Hotchkiss held the Saturday event as a way of letting affected

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families meet in person and, if they wished, to speak to media. She and volunteers read the names and fates of decedents whose family members couldn’t come, or who were not comfortable speaking. “There’s a lot of power in saying this yourself. … If you can’t get through it, we will help you,” said Schum, going on to read the name of her best friend of 30 years, LoraLee Johnson, who died June 13, 2017. Johnson’s entire body was sold before Schum even arrived at Sunset Mesa to make arrangements, Schum said. Danielle McCarthy knows in part what became of her husband, who died last year. “I know what body parts I will be getting back. They are in FBI evidence. He was dismembered and sold to an agency in Detroit,” McCarthy said, like the other speakers, citing what the agency told her. Others reported being told their loved

@montrosepress

See GRIEF page 3

A passerby found two Deltaarea men shot to death outside of Hotchkiss Sunday morning, authorities said. Delta County Coroner Lance Boren on Monday identified the deceased as Jonathon Alonzo, 27, and Joshua George, 26. The official cause and manners of death are pending autopsy results. On Sunday, Delta County Sheriff ’s Office deputies were paged to 3100 and L Roads, Delta County, after a person on the way to work saw both men dead in the road. Sheriff Fred McKee said both died of gunshot wounds and that the men knew each other. McKee said one of the men’s vehicles was found on scene. “The investigation is still very early. Naturally, there are some very distraught families,” he said Monday. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation responded to assist with the matter Sunday, when the initial investigation led to an hours-long road closure. Authorities did not think there is an ongoing risk to the public and at last report, the DCSO was not seeking anyone in relation to the shooting. “At this time, we don’t believe anyone else was involved, but the investigation is ongoing,” McKee told the Montrose Daily Press on Sunday. The Montrose Daily Press first reported this story Sunday morning on its Facebook page.

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People took turns speaking at Confluence Park in Delta on Saturday. They spoke about what the FBI purportedly told them happened to their loved ones’ remains while in the possession of Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors. (Monica Garcia/ Montrose Daily Press)

embracing her at that moment, because He took her the next morning.” What became of their mother’s mortal remains? “We still don’t know,” Reher said. Jacob Noe remembered his father for his love of baseball and “just playing guitar with him.” “His dad was a baseball dad and he was his coach years and years,” Jacob’s mother, Lisa, said. “He loved that. He was a mechanic who could fix pretty much anything.” Within five days of his death, the Vietnam veteran had been sold to a plastination company, according to the Noes’ account of what the FBI said. “It (information) needs to be out there,” Lisa Noe said. “It’s like losing her all over again,” Chrissy Hartman, Cherrie Neuendorf’s daughter, said. “Now there’s too many unknowns. … I just want to know if she was treated with respect and dignity, that’s all I want to know.” Rick Neuendorf recalled carrying his wife to her chair near the Christmas tree in December 2013, and bringing her a pencil and paper. She dictated her obituary. The family may never know where she ended up — they’re not even sure what to do with her death certificate. “It says cremated and she wasn’t cremated. I have no idea,” Rick said.

The last picture Before he was the subject of headlines, Leroy Gonzales was a loving father who liked to try his luck in Las Vegas and enjoyed a good rodeo. “He was a very proud man, a private man, with a heart of gold,” Gonzales’ widow, Helen, said, as Neil held a photo bordered with scenes from Vegas. “He liked to gamble and have fun.” Dawn Reher also remembers a parent who enjoyed a game of chance. She would often go with her mother, Kathleen Dent, to Black Hawk or Central City — but they only played nickels and kept the amount to $20. It was extremely important to Dent that her ashes be mixed with her husband, Eddie’s, and taken to Piny Rock, Kansas, to be spread on her parents’ graves, Dent’s other daughter, Debbie Greenlee said. “We did it — or we thought we did. That is the only wish we were unable to fulfill that my mom had,” she said. Reher pulled out a phone to show a picture of Dent on April 2, 2017 — the day before she died. A hazy nimbus surrounded Dent’s head; this wasn’t visible when the photo was taken, Reher said. “To me, that was God

that it could help the public understand the scope of their grief. “People who aren’t involved really can’t comprehend the magnitude of what has happened here. I just feel bad for all these people,” Freddie Hancock said. “It helps you get through it, but there will never be closure,” Reher said. “… It will always be with us the rest of our lives. … It’s just sad somebody would take somebody’s trust and throw it in the gutter and stomp on it.” It’s not a small matter, Schum said. “Nobody else really understands this, do they? This isn’t a little tiny thing. This is an overwhelming, consuming thing. It’s horrifying,” she said. “Nobody had our permission to do this. None of us would have agreed to these grotesqueries.” This story originally appeared online at montrosepress.com. Katharhynn Heidelberg is an award-winning journalist and the senior writer for the Montrose Daily Press. Follow her on Twitter @kathMDP.

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she “may never know” whether she got back his cremains. Still, others who spoke said the FBI determined parts of their loved ones were sold, then ended up as “medical waste” and were disposed of.

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ones’ remains were sold to companies in China and Saudi Arabia. “My dad’s urn weighed only 5 pounds,” the daughter of Walter Kraschuk said. “I found out from the FBI that from his torso down, it was sold. My mom (Ruth) passed away 2016. They used a knee and a leg from her. Her urn weighed 9.5 pounds and when we received it, it was still warm.” Noe’s family thought he had been laid to rest after his Dec. 7, 2013 death. “His entire body was sold,” son Jacob Noe said. “We have since found pictures of him online.” Rick Neuendorf said his wife, Cherrie, was supposed to have been cremated. “The FBI told me they had proof her body was sold and shipped, and the odds of ever finding out where she is are slim to none,” Neuendorf, a former police officer who with his wife had managed a mobile home park in Montrose, said. Although the FBI investigation remains in full swing, with no charges filed at last report, the state of Colorado said in public documents that Sunset Mesa returned cement mix to some families, not cremains. These and other state findings drove the May stipulation in which Hess agreed to never operate a funeral home or crematory in Colorado again, although she did not admit to the allegations. Hundreds of containers of purported cremains are being tested through the FBI or Colorado Mesa University, Schum said. She later read the name of Gerald “Cactus” Hollenback, whose family is suing Hess after they received ashes containing metal items Hollenback reportedly was not wearing when he was taken to Sunset Mesa for cremation. Uncertainty abounds for families still awaiting test results. McCarthy also spoke on behalf of the Miller family, who lost their 2-year-old son, Xander, in 2017. “That mama now has to question if the ashes she has are that baby’s,” McCarthy said. A woman who lost her newborn son in 2017 said

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