Inset: Martin Gillespie (Norfolk Daily News). Background: The Iowa hospital accused of harvesting Martin Gillespie's organs, skin tissue and eyes without permission from his next of kin (Google Maps).
An Iowa hospital harvested a 69-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran's "organs, skin tissue and eyes" without authorization from him or his next of kin, a lawsuit says.
Staff at CHI Health-Missouri Valley, which also does business as Alegent Health Community Memorial Hospital, made "no attempt to contact" Martin Gillespie's next of kin for permission to collect his "anatomical gifts of his body," according to the family's legal complaint, which was obtained by Law&Crime and filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
"On April 1, 2026, decedent arrived via Missouri Valley Fire and Rescue to defendant's hospital and was pronounced deceased," the complaint recounts. "During his lifetime, decedent did not authorize anatomical gifts of his body in any manner."
Gillespie — a father of three and grandfather of eight who was a "proud United States Air Force veteran," according to his obituary — is survived by his two daughters, Christina Gubbels and Daun Stoddard, who are the plaintiffs in the case. The two women say the hospital "possessed information" that he had biological children but incorrectly determined that his aunt was the next of kin who had legal authorization to make "anatomical gift decisions" on his behalf, per the complaint.
"[The aunt] was not the decedent's next of kin nor was she ever appointed to make legal or healthcare decisions on decedent's behalf under a durable power of attorney or similar instrument," the complaint alleges. "Decedent also did not authorize [the aunt] to make anatomical gifts on decedent's behalf."
The daughters say hospital staff "made no attempt to contact" them, insisting they were both "reasonably available to make decisions" regarding the harvesting of Gillespie's organs. At 4:50 a.m. on April 1, the hospital made a "routine referral" to the Iowa Donor Network for the harvesting of Gillespie's organs, tissue, and eyes.
"Later that day, the Iowa Donor Network harvested the decedent's organs, skin tissue, and eyes," according to the complaint. "Following harvesting by the Iowa Donor Network, the Decedent was transported to the Hennessey Funeral Home in Missouri Valley where he was cremated."
Gillespie's daughters are seeking more than $75,000 in damages for malpractice, fraud, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
CHI Health-Missouri Valley and its communications team did not respond to Law&Crime's requests for comment.