A mother has described the harrowing moment she believes she found her deceased son's body on public display in a museum exhibition, an experience she sums up with two devastating words.
A Mother's Unimaginable Discovery
Kim Erick, now 54, was visiting the Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas in 2018 when she encountered preserved human remains that she became convinced belonged to her son, Chris. The Texas-born mother described seeing what she believed was his "skinned" and "butchered" body presented as an anatomical specimen.
"I knew it was him; it was so unbelievably painful to look at," Kim recalled. "My words cannot describe how this shook me and my family to its core. I was actually looking at pictures of my son's skinned, butchered body. It is gut-wrenching."
A Tragic History and Unanswered Questions
The traumatic incident reopened painful wounds from November 2012, when Chris was found dead at his grandmother's home. Police concluded he died peacefully in his sleep and found no evidence of foul play.
However, Kim remained unconvinced by the official explanation. She noticed what she believed were "restraining marks across Chris's arms, chest and abdomen" in post-mortem photos. Despite a 2014 jury investigation that determined his death was likely suicide and found no evidence supporting homicide claims, Kim has continued campaigning for answers.
Chris's father, now separated from Kim, arranged for cremation without what Kim claims was proper discussion about funeral arrangements. She later received a necklace containing Chris's ashes but maintained suspicions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
The Exhibition's Response and Ongoing Battle
The Real Bodies exhibition, which uses actual preserved human remains to showcase human anatomy, has firmly denied Kim's allegations. Imagine Exhibitions, Inc., the owner, issued a statement addressing the claims.
"We extend our sympathy to the family, but there is no factual basis for these allegations," the statement read. "The referenced specimen has been on continuous display in Las Vegas since 2004 and cannot be associated with the individual named in these claims. All specimens are ethically sourced and biologically unidentifiable."
Kim's conviction stems from noticing what she believed was a distinctive skull fracture matching one she remembered from her son's autopsy. "When I saw the platinated body online in the news article with this same skull fracture...it was too painful to look closer," she explained.
Despite police assurances and the exhibition's denials, Kim continues to demand DNA testing on the specimen to prove whether it belongs to her son, maintaining her campaign for truth about both his death and the disturbing exhibition encounter.
