This week we're bringing you a replay of a case that is one of the wildest—and most unsettling—stories we've ever covered. Back in 2005, headlines dubbed him the Body Snatcher of New York. Dr. Michael Mastromarino was a once-promising dentist who built a shady side business harvesting human tissue and bones without consent. What started as a booming "medical" enterprise unraveled into a shocking scandal that left thousands of families devastated, raised questions about the tissue donation industry, and earned Mastromarino a spot in true crime infamy.
We're re-airing this episode now because it ties in more than you'd expect with the docuseries The Kings of Tupelo, which we're covering all month long. The first episode is already out, and you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at Patreon.com/momsandmysteriespodcast to hear all three parts—plus get access to even more bonus content.
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Sources:
https://www.wired.com/2005/12/a-macabre-theater-of-greed/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4552742.stm
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/23/nyregion/alistair-cookes-bones-were-stolen-for-implantation-his-family-says.html
https://archive.is/20130127080006/http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_242213157.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701569.html
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/wife-of-body-snatcher-details-how-she-learned-ex-husband-illegally-harvested-sold-body-parts-in-doc-i-had-no-idea
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/nyregion/michael-mastromarino-dentist-guilty-in-organ-scheme-dies-at-49.html
http://nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov/GCA00P00/WIQ3/WINQ130
https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1759971/in-re-human-tissue-products-liability-litigation/?q=Biomedical%20Tissue%20Services
https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1917302/com-v-garzone/?q=Michael%20Mastromarino&type=o&order_by=score%20desc&stat_Precedential=on
https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2443646/com-v-mastromarino/?q=Biomedical%20Tissue%20Services
https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/other-courts/2012/2012-ny-slip-op-22271.html
https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1917334/com-v-garzone/?q=gerald%20Garzone&type=o&order_by=score%20desc&stat_Precedential=on
http://prev.dailyherald.com/story/?id=209415
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/13192080/ns/health/t/grotesque-scandal-cheap-horror-movie/#.XruV6JNKg1I
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-paed-2_08-cv-03895/pdf/USCOURTS-paed-2_08-cv-03895-0.pdf
https://www.delcotimes.com/news/funeral-director-sentenced-in-pa-body-parts-scam/article_8d969b7f-1ac1-525c-af8f-f7866e121a5e.html
https://www.inquirer.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081219_Body-parts_defendant_who_aided_prosecutors_gets_shorter_term.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/31/usa
http://inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov/#/Result
http://media.philly.com/documents/pressrelease1.pdf
https://casetext.com/case/people-v-joseph-nicelli
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1388122/
https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1702763&page=1
Bodysnatchers of New York documentary
https://web.archive.org/web/20081019185440/https://www.fda.gov/cber/compl/bts013106.htm
https://www.silive.com/news/2009/01/former_staten_island_funeral_p.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15326025/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/funeral-directors-plead-guilty-body-part-plot/#.XrvUApNKg1I
https://www.foxnews.com/story/7-people-in-n-y-accused-of-illegally-removing-body-parts-from-corpses
http://prev.dailyherald.com/story/?id=257964
https://www.mpnnow.com/article/20110214/NEWS/302149887
https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/other-courts/2008/2008-52680.html
https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4310548/gayton-serrell-people-v/?
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2014/12/03/darlene-deats-body-parts-lawsuit/19831953/
https://www.leagle.com/decision/infdco20150121d70
https://www.mpnnow.com/article/20090919/NEWS/309199980
https://www.mpnnow.com/article/20090719/NEWS/307199986
https://www.mpnnow.com/article/20090415/NEWS/304159938
https://www.cantonrep.com/x50631018/New-York-woman-convicted-for-role-in-body-parts-scheme
https://www.aatb.org/regulatory
https://www.aatb.org/standards
https://www.lifelinktissuebank.org/about-us/history-of-tissue/
https://tissuebank.dcids.org/
https://www.donatelife.net/types-of-donation/tissue-donation/
The Body Snatcher's Wife by Barbra Reifel
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