The suit filed by Alan, David, Scott and Terry Whitten in Sacramento Superior Court alleges negligence and the intentional infliction of emotional distress, the Sacramento Bee reported Saturday.

The family donated their father's body for cancer research after he died of colon cancer on Dec. 24, 1990.

Medical center officials assured the family his remains would be treated with respect and care, the suit said.

However, last summer authorities found more than 150 pounds of body parts allegedly taken by David Lawrence Beale, a former autopsy assistant for Pathology Support Services, which had a contract with the medical center. Beale, awaiting trial on multiple charges, said he used the body parts to hone his autopsy skills.

Alan Whitten was asked by the Yolo County Coroner's Office to identify the embalmed head found in a bag in Beale's tool shed.