NEW YORK -- The New York Daily News is reporting that Red Sox Hall of Famer Ted Williams' severed head was mistreated at an Arizona cryonics facility, according to details from a new book.
In "Frozen," Larry Johnson, a former executive at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz., writes that Williams' head, which had been severed and frozen for storage, was abused at the facility. Johnson claims a technician took baseball-like swings at Williams' frozen head with a monkey wrench.
Williams, the last player to hit over .400 in a season, died in July 2002 at age 83; his remains were sent to Alcor for cryogenic storage in the hope that future generations would develop the technology to revive him.
According to the Daily News, Johnson wrote the book while in hiding after becoming a whistle-blower in 2003. He held the title of chief operating officer of Alcor for eight months, the newspaper said. He is scheduled for a Tuesday appearance on the ABC news show "Nightline."
Johnson told the Daily News he wired himself during his last three months of employment at Alcor and stole internal records. The book also includes photos of severed heads and procedures performed on bodies.
John Henry Williams, Ted Williams' only son, handled his father's business and household affairs beginning in the 1990s after Ted's romantic companion died. John Henry made the decision to have his father's body taken to Alcor for freezing, setting off a battle with his half-sister, who said her father had wanted to be cremated.
The matter was settled in December 2002, when Bobby Jo Williams Ferrell, Ted Williams' oldest daughter, dropped her objections.
John Henry Williams died of leukemia in March 2004 at age 35. His remains also were reportedly delivered to Alcor.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
