LANSING (AP) -- The Michigan Supreme Court says an Oakland County family had no legal right to a dead woman's brain when her body was returned after an autopsy in 2006.
Karen Waeschle of Waterford filed a lawsuit after becoming alarmed that her mother's body was cremated without the brain. It was not released with other remains because it had to be hardened before being examined by the medical examiner.
In a 5-2 decision last Friday, the Supreme Court said state law in 2006 allowed a medical examiner to keep body parts for as long as necessary. The law was changed this year to require notification.
Justices Robert Young Jr. and Alton Davis dissented because they didn't believe it was necessary to get involved. A message seeking comment was left for Waeschle's lawyer.
Published: Tue, Nov 2, 2010
