Former Wesley employee charged with human remains trafficking

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A former Wesley Medical Center employee has been indicted for his role in trafficking human remains.

Angelo Pereyra, 39, was charged May 15 with interstate transportation of stolen property. He is accused of another man, Andrew Ensanian, 38, from Pennsylvania.

A DOJ press release said the two men caused stolen human remains to be transported between Kansas and Pennsylvania.

The charges follow a years-long investigation into the domestic trafficking of stolen human remains, according to the DOJ. Several defendants have already been charged in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and three have so far pleaded guilty.

Wesley said in a statement that the hospital assisted federal law enforcement in the investigation and that he was immediately fired.

No federal agents visited the hospital. However, we were contacted by federal law enforcement agents last year and assisted in their criminal investigation. We immediately terminated the employee who was the subject of the investigation based on the information provided regarding his personal conduct. We are very grateful for the information provided to us by officers and the action they have taken against everyone involved in these crimes.

Dave Stewart, Market Director, Communications and Community Engagement, Wesley Healthcare

On September 8, 2023, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said Jeremy Pauley, 41, of Thompson, Pennsylvania, admitted his role in the nationwide network of people who bought and sold stolen human remains from Harvard Medical School and a morgue in Arkansas.

According to the DOJ, Pauley said he purchased stolen human remains from Candace Scott, who worked for a crematorium in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Scott allegedly stole parts of corpses she was supposed to have cremated, many of which had been donated and used for research and education by an area medical school, as well as the corpses of two stillborn babies which were supposed to be cremated and returned. like ashes for their families.

Court documents show that Pereyra and Ensanian illegally transported, transmitted and transferred in interstate commerce stolen property from Wichita, Kansas, to Montgomery, Pennsylvania. The documents state that the stolen property was human remains.

Another defendant was indicted and convicted in Arkansas. None have yet been convicted.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said it has attempted and will continue to attempt to identify and contact as many victims and victims' families affected by this case as possible.

If anyone believes that they or a family member may have been affected by the conduct described above, please contact our Victim and Witness Unit at [email protected] or at ( 717) 614-4249.