Man with Topeka business charged with doing autopsies without a doctor

A man with a business based in Topeka is accused of performing autopsies without a doctor present.

Shawn Parcells, 39, turned himself into Shawnee Co. authorities Friday morning on a warrant out of Wabaunsee Co. It charges him with three counts of felony theft and three misdemeanor counts of criminal desecration.

The Kansas Attorney General's Office filed the criminal complaint. According to the complaint, on three occasions - in December 2014, April 2015, and June 2015 - Parcells "obtained unauthorized control over the body...when he performed an autopsy of the body with no pathologist present," which is required by Kansas law.

The theft counts are for dollar amounts between $1,000 and $25,000, and stem from the same dates, according to the complaint.

KCTV in Kansas City has been investigating Parcells for several months. More than 20 families from all over the country have told the station that Parcells is an incompetent fraud, and lied to them.

Parcells operates a business headquartered in Topeka called National Autopsy Services. It lists services including private autopsy, forensic pathology, and tissue recovery. On his Facebook page, Parcells describes himself as a neuro and forensic pathology consultant, public health expert, and educator.

Parcells gained national attention in 2014 when he was presented as a forensic pathology expert discussing the autopsy of Michael Brown, who was fatally shot by a Ferguson, Mo. police officer. The case set off demonstrations, some of which led to violence and vandalism.

The Shawnee Co. Dept. of Corrections says Parcells was booked in at 9:20 a.m. Friday, and released at 11:15 a.m. on $25,000 bond. He is ordered to appear in Wabaunsee Co. Court on April 9.