LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Doneysha Smith was still grieving the loss of her baby, Lux, a year after his stillbirth in 2023. She kept his ashes in a small urn at home and wore a necklace containing some of them. Her family had even held a memorial service, releasing blue, white, and yellow balloons in his honor.
But then, the FBI gave her shocking news—her baby’s remains had never been cremated. Instead, Lux’s body had been sold as part of a large-scale scheme involving stolen human remains.
“My son never got to rest in peace,” Smith said from her home in Sherwood, Arkansas.
Now, Smith and her mother are fighting for a new law in Arkansas to prevent this from happening to others. Named Lux’s Law, the proposal would make it a serious crime to sell human remains that were meant to be buried or cremated. The Arkansas Senate has already passed the bill, and it is now awaiting approval in the House.
The case gained attention when Candace Chapman Scott, a former mortuary worker, was caught stealing and selling body parts. She pleaded guilty to federal charges last year after admitting to selling 24 boxes of stolen remains—including Lux’s body—to a buyer in Pennsylvania for nearly $11,000. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Scott was part of a nationwide scheme that also involved stolen remains from Harvard Medical School. The situation revealed major gaps in the law—many states, including Arkansas, had no specific law against selling human remains.
State Senator Fred Love, who introduced Lux’s Law, said he decided to act after meeting Smith’s mother at a community event. The bill proposes 3 to 10 years in prison and fines up to $10,000 for anyone convicted of illegally selling remains.
“This is a form of trafficking, and we have to stop it,” Love said.
For Smith and her family, learning that Lux’s remains had been sold was heartbreaking. Even now, they don’t know if the ashes they originally received were real.
“It felt like losing him all over again,” said Smith’s mother, Lynnell Logan. “Thinking about where he was sent and who handled him is devastating.”
Lux’s remains were eventually returned to Smith. She now keeps his ashes in a lantern on her mantle, with a message on the glass that reads:
“When tomorrow starts without me, don’t think we’re far apart. For every time you think of me, I’m right here in your heart.”
Smith believes Lux’s name, which means “light” in Latin, holds a deeper meaning.
“Even after he passed, he’s shining light on something dark that people need to know about,” she said.
