In a heart-wrenching lawsuit filed by Tonya Walker’s family, it has been alleged that for months, the hospital concealed the death of Walker. Not only that, they also harvested her organs with the family’s consent. When asked, they discouraged the family from viewing her body.
This shocking lawsuit has brought back the speculations of potential medical abuse and illegal organ procurement.
In October 2023, Walker was reported missing by her sisters, Dalee Marez and Kalia Zachary. Walker was 51 years old and a mother of 4 kids. She did not just disappear, but after failing to get in touch with her, her sisters were worried.
Initially, they distributed flyers and looked around the neighborhood. They even scoured storm drains and roadsides and offered a $3,500 reward. They believe she may have been harmed. They lodged a missing person report with the authorities, and the authorities dispatched a cadaver dog.
After seven months of gruelling search, she was declared dead by the Department of Motor Vehicles in May 2024.
Later, her body was found stored in a morgue on the outskirts of Sacramento. The site is called “Cremations Only.” When her family reached there to claim it, they were horrified to see the condition of her body. It was severely altered. She was missing her eyes and skin. Her sister Dalee Marez later claimed that her face was so disfigured it seemed as if someone had put battery acid on it.
The sisters later claimed that they were pressured not to view her remains. However, they refused as they wanted to say one last goodbye.
It was later reported that Walker passed away on November 2, 2023. She was admitted to Mercy General Hospital for hypotension and hypothermia, and later on, passed away from cardiac arrest.
The family alleges that despite having all her information on file, no one from her family was notified. The lawsuit has been filed against Dignity Health and mortuary operator Michael Lofton. They are accused of gross negligence, intentional emotional distress, and failing to create a death certificate.
Additionally, they also face charges of unauthorized organ harvesting since Walker was never registered as a donor.
This lawsuit is similar to that of another recent case. It involved Jessie Peterson. His remains were similarly found at the same mortuary. It has sparked concerns over how many bodies may be improperly handled.
Once both these reports came up, Dignity Health was audited by the California Department of Public Health in 2022-2023.
Lawyers speculate that this case could be only the tip of the iceberg. There are now multiple lawsuits against Dignity Health. Public safety officials and civil rights attorneys are now demanding stricter oversight over funeral home operations. This also goes for hospital protocols and organ‑donation procedures in California and beyond.
Tanya Walker(51), woman vanished after visiting Dignity Health Hospital in California. For nearly 8 months, she was missing—until her unrecognizable remains were discovered in a morgue labeled “Cremation Only.” No death certificate. No family notification. https://t.co/iIjS9Taj81 pic.twitter.com/Ag0zEpUpLf
— Shannel Tarot TV (@ShannelBlack1) April 14, 2025
Dignity Health has not yet issued any public statements in response to the lawsuits and protocols. However, the allegations have reinforced suspicions of misconduct in hospitals and mortuaries when it comes to treating the remains of vulnerable individuals.
This especially includes the unhoused, undocumented, or marginalized.
Walker’s family says that the lawsuit won’t bring back their sister, but it is part of a broader campaign demanding accountability and preventing future tragedies.
“This final image of Ms. Walker is now ingrained in minds … it will haunt them forever,” the suit states. Legal proceedings are still ongoing. With each new detail, questions grow: how many more lives have been impacted by these alleged systemic failures?
