Callum Jones
A museum has issued a response after a mother insisted that a body on display in an exhibit was her son's
Kim Erick felt her blood run cold when she saw the Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas and noticed that the body she was staring at posed a striking resemblance to her son, Chris Todd Erick.
Chris passed away aged 23 in 2012, with his death ruled a suicide.
Initially, it was believed he suffered two heart attacks in his sleep caused by a heart defect at his grandmother's home.
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But Kim thinks differently after asking the police for case materials, which she alleges contained images of a chair with straps attached.
The mother explained how her ex, Chris’ dad, had handled his cremation due to her grief, and she was given a necklace with a small amount of ashes inside days after her son’s body was found.
However, Kim claims there was never any funeral and she contacted the Midlothian Police Department for the photos taken at the scene.
She claimed Chris had been covered in bruises and lacerations when he died and said there was noticeable dry cyanide salt on his lips.
The examiner ultimately tested a vial of his blood to appease her and shockingly found a lethal dose of cyanide in his system.
This changed his cause of death to cyanide toxicity.
Chris' death was ruled a suicide by ‘undetermined means’, but Kim has continued to search for answers ever since.
So, Kim was left shocked when she saw a body she was adamant was her son.
The 54-year-old told The Sun: “I knew it was him. It was so unbelievably painful to look at. 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.”
The Real Bodies exhibit in Las Vegas told The Sun that ‘there is no factual basis for these allegations’, adding: “We extend our sympathy to the family, but the referenced specimen cannot be associated with the individual named in these claims.”
Imagine Exhibitions, Inc, which owns Real Bodies, added to Lead Stories: "We extend our sympathy to the family, but there is no factual basis for these allegations. 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. We remain committed to ensuring that all exhibits meet the highest ethical and legal standards."