Keith Lott’s Own Body Became a Two Day Standoff Between His Family and an Organ Group

Keith Lott's family thought his death was the hardest part of that week.

Then two strangers walked in and told them his body wasn't theirs to release.

What happened over the next two days exposes exactly why Congress is already investigating this group.

His Brother Said No and the Fight Was Just Beginning

Alex Lott stood in the hospital room and heard something no grieving brother should ever have to hear.

Representatives from NJ Sharing Network told the family that Keith was an organ donor.

The family says that wasn't true.

"He's Muslim. Religion trumps everything," Alex Lott said.

That single sentence kicked off a two-day standoff over who actually controlled Keith's body.

NJ Sharing Network kept Keith on life support the entire time, insisting the family wasn't in charge of the decision.

Keith's niece, Blake, finally broke the standoff by calling her boss, a New Jersey state senator's office, for help.

Staffers told the hospital directly that what NJ Sharing Network was doing looked illegal.

Only then did the standoff end.

This Wasn't the First Time This Same Group Got Caught

NJ Sharing Network isn't dealing with one angry family.

It's dealing with a congressional investigation.

The House Ways and Means Committee sent the organization a letter describing "extreme abuse of public trust" and possible violations of federal and state law.

Nearly a dozen whistleblowers told investigators the organization tried to continue organ recovery on a patient at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital who had "reanimated" after being pronounced dead.

CEO Carolyn Welsh, who was off site at the time and is not a trained medical professional, allegedly told staff to proceed with the recovery anyway.

Hospital staff intervened and stopped it.

Whistleblowers also told the committee that email servers tied to the incident were taken offline in July, right as records related to the case were being requested.

A donor record connected to the case now appears to be a stripped down "skeleton" file in the national system.

The Committee Says the Pattern Runs Deeper Than One Bad Case

Investigators allege NJ Sharing Network misused Motor Vehicle Commission records to pressure families whose loved ones weren't listed as donors.

The committee says the group may have thrown away hundreds of recovered organs purely to pad its federal performance numbers.

Lawmakers also allege organs were handed out of sequence, skipping over patients ranked higher on the transplant waiting list.

"The organs procured by every OPO belong to the individuals on the waitlist," the committee's letter states, not to the organizations recovering them.

Nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents are currently waiting for a transplant that could save their life.

Every organ discarded to pad a quota is a person on that list who waited for nothing.

Families Trusted This System With Their Loved Ones' Final Decision

Organ donation only works because families trust the people showing up at the worst moment of their lives.

NJ Sharing Network's own website tells faith communities that donation is an act of charity every religion can support.

Keith Lott's family says that trust nearly cost his body the one thing his faith demanded.

Congress is still investigating. NJ Sharing Network has not been decertified.

Families across New Jersey are now asking the same question RFK Jr. just answered in Kentucky: how many more of these cases exist before someone finally shuts the door.

Sources:

• New York Post, "Shady organ donation group tried to harvest NJ man's body parts – even though he wasn't a registered organ donor," New York Post, August 6, 2026.
• The Hill, "New Jersey group attempted to harvest organs from patient with signs of life, House panel alleges," The Hill, November 19, 2025.
• CNN, "New Jersey organ procurement organization under congressional investigation after 'alarming' whistleblower claims," CNN, November 19, 2025.