New lawsuits claim the organs of deceased Alabama inmates have been removed from their bodies during autopsies without consent from the families.
The suits filed in Montgomery County District Court have been filed on behalf of the families of five inmates.
A lawyer for the families alleged the organs were kept by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which is contracted by the prison system to carry out autopsies.
It is an ongoing issue for the prison system, which faces a federal lawsuit over violence and the treatment of inmates.
Families of two inmates complained earlier this year that they were returned bodies that were missing organs.
In another case from November 2021, Charles Edward Singleton passed away at the age of 74 in the state's Hamilton Aged and Infirmed prison facility.
His family said that the University of Alabama's pathology department conducted an autopsy and removed all of his organs and they couldn't get them back.
Arthur Stapler, who was also held at Hamilton, was 85 when he died. He too was missing organs.
"It's like a horror movie that I can't wake up from," said Stapler's son, Billy told CNN.
The family eventually received what they were told were his brain and heart in plastic bags but only after they contacted the college.
In a statement to CNN, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) said the corrections department is responsible for obtaining the authorizations for the autopsies.
"The authorization forms not only provide permission for the autopsy, but also specifically include consent for the removal of organs or tissues for diagnostic or other testing including final disposition," said UAB in a statement.
It said it could comment on specific autopsies due to privacy rules.
