They Buried Our Babies-Then Hid Their Hearts for Years

They Buried Our Babies-Then Hid Their Hearts for Years A mother opened a medical file and found a letter revealing her daughter's heart had been retained after burial - and that discovery led to the unearthing of thousands of preserved organs from unnamed children. More than a thousand children, mostly foetuses under 28 weeks, were eventually buried at Allerton Cemetery in a series of funerals that stretched from August 5, 2004 until January 2010. How did one hospital accumulate so many unrecorded specimens, and who was responsible? In this episode, we lay out the timeline from a 1992 paediatric death to the 1996 finding of a retained heart, the formation of parent action groups, and the 1999 revelation that shifted an inquiry to Alder Hey. We follow how a single pathologist’s orders produced storage rooms of sealed containers and what families only discovered years later. Person: Helen Rickard Date: August 5, 2004 Location: Allerton Cemetery, Liverpool Person: Dick van Velzen Event: Final burial completed January 2010 - Samantha Rickard died in 1992 after open-heart surgery and her mother requested records in 1996. - A letter in Samantha’s file stated the pathologist had retained her heart and was addressed to her surgeon. - In September 1999 a medical witness mentioned a large number of hearts at Alder Hey, prompting investigators to enter the hospital. - Investigators found thousands of sealed containers and pots with incomplete, falsified, or missing patient records. - More than a thousand children, most foetuses under 28 weeks and unnamed in surviving records, were buried at Allerton between 2004 and January 2010. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].