Two former employees of an American biomedical supply company pleaded not guilty to collecting bones, skin and tissue from corpses without proper consent.
Kevin Vickers (53) and Kirssy Knapp (29) worked at a branch of the now-defunct Biomedical Tissue Services of Fort Lee, New Jersey. They denied the charges at a court in New York.
Along with five others - two former Biomedical Tissue employees and three funeral directors - Mr Vickers and Ms Knapp were accused of removing bone and tissue from 36 corpses in 2005 without getting the proper consent.
Four other men, including the company's owner, former dentist Michael Mastromarino, were charged last year with removing bone and tissue from 1,077 bodies at funeral homes without the permission of families. All have pleaded not guilty.
In October, seven funeral home directors linked to the scheme pleaded guilty in New York to undisclosed charges and agreed to co-operate with investigators.
They included the director of a funeral home that took parts from the body of British BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke, who died in 2004, defence lawyers said.
AP