Ohio mother outraged after son's body parts were taken without her consent

On June 24, 2023, 18-year-old Damon Mauk died after his car struck a tree on a rural Ohio road. While his mother, Andrea Mauk, was abroad in Costa Rica, the hospital did not contact her despite her being the listed emergency contact. An organ procurement organization proceeded to recover his eyes, skin, heart valves, ligaments and other tissue as “anatomical gifts,” securing consent from his biological father, who had limited involvement in his life.

Mauk discovered that some tissue was sent to research groups and his eyes were shipped to Argentina. Outraged by the lack of notification, she testified before the Ohio Senate and launched a petition for “Damon’s Law” to tighten hospital donation protocols. Her case coincides with a federal review of organ-procurement practices announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., following investigations into questionable consent practices in the region.