The State - News from March 25, 1988

Six members of a laboratory group who were detained in January during a search for a missing frozen head have filed false arrest claims with Riverside County totaling $225,000. The claims for damages stem from the December beheading of 83-year-old Dora Kent so her head could be frozen for theoretical revival at a future date. The six members of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation were detained by Riverside police Jan. 7 as officers searched the premises. All six say they were arrested for investigation of obstruction of justice. Filing a claim is a preliminary step toward suing a government agency. The county has the option of settling the claims or rejecting them. Alcor members contend they “suffered emotional stress arising from the purposeful, wrongful conduct of the coroner’s investigators.� The coroner’s office ruled the death a homicide, finding that Kent died of a lethal dose of barbiturates.