According to a report from the Pentagon’s internal watchdog‚ the military’s medical examiner mishandled a substantial number of organs removed during autopsies. The medical examiner reportedly removed organs‚ including people’s brains and hearts‚ without notifying family members. In some cases‚ it was against the family’s wishes. “For years‚ the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System‚ which conducts autopsies on service members and others who die under federal jurisdiction‚ lacked consistent procedures for handling and storing organs removed during autopsies‚ the Pentagon’s Inspector General found‚” NBC News reports. The military’s medical examiner retained hundreds of organs removed during autopsies — including people’s brains and hearts — frequently without notifying family members or‚ in some instances‚ against their wishes‚ according to a watchdog report. https://t.co/pFaSiGLm8U — NBC News (@NBCNews) March 23‚ 2024 Per NBC News: A Department of Defense official confirmed on Friday that the military’s medical examiner retained 553 “specimens” belonging to 433 people at its Dover Air Force Base morgue in Delaware. The official said the military is not actively contacting those relatives but instead is asking people who suspect a loved one may be included in that tally to email the military to reclaim the remains. “It’s mainly in order to not retraumatize families‚” the official added of the decision not to proactively inform families. “Some of these are from many‚ many years ago.” The Pentagon’s Inspector General warned that because the medical examiner did not keep complete and accurate records for retained organs‚ officials may not be able to effectively answer families’ questions‚ which “could cause emotional distress.” The Armed Forces Medical Examiner System has mishandled a substantial number of organs it collected from autopsies in recent years‚ according to new findings by the Pentagon’s Inspector General.https://t.co/s4HrME5yO8 — Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) March 20‚ 2024 Stars and Stripes added: Defense Department officials failed to get next-of-kin instruction on how to dispose of organs for more than half of the 208 people who died that were included in the IG’s study. The families of most of those people‚ 91%‚ were never told AFMES had retained an organ‚ the report said. When disposition instructions were obtained‚ DOD officials failed to follow them 41% of the time‚ according to the report. The system also failed to effectively track organs that examiners retained during autopsies‚ meaning DOD officials may not be able to respond to requests by families for information on the status of those remains. The IG warned this may “cause emotional distress” for families who were missing the remains retained by AFMES‚ and who had plans to bury or dispose of them in another way. The mismanagement was a result of the medical examiner system “not having clear policies and procedures in place to track retention‚ transportation‚ storage or release of the retained organs‚” the report said. Read the full report from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General HERE.