The Body Broker: Authorities let Arthur Rathburn do business despite signs of his bizarre practices

Arthur Rathburn is accused of dismembering donated bodies with a chainsaw and renting HIV-infected parts to medical professionals. Prosecutors hailed his arrest. But for years, authorities let him do business despite signs of his bizarre practices, writes John Shiffman

WHEN US authorities arrested Arthur Rathburn last year, they hailed their investigation as a milestone in efforts to police a growing industry: Brokers who acquire bodies donated to science, dissect them, and sell or lease the parts for profit.

The indictment alleges that Rathburn stored bodies destined for medical education and training in grisly conditions and dismembered them with a chainsaw.