Kim Erick, 54, was visiting the Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas when saw the body of what she believes to be her son.
A mother has been left horrified after allegedly “discovering her son’s butchered dead body” on display in a museum. Kim Erick, 54, believed she stumbled upon her son’s remains when visiting the Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas.
Kim is convinced she encountered the body of her own soon “skinned” and “butchered” for public viewing. The museum denied that the body is her son’s.
The police also reassured Kim, who was left traumatised, that it had undertaken a thorough investigation into her son Chris’ death and were sure no foul play was involved. Kim, from Texas, remains convinced that there is an ominous side to his death and his alleged appearance in the museum.
The mum recounted the moment she first saw the body: “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.
“It is gut-wrenching. I was actually looking at pictures of my son’s skinned, butchered body.
The Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas showcases actual human bodies that have been meticulously preserved, offering visitors a unique insight into their own anatomy.
Kim is desperate for DNA tests to be conducted on the corpse to confirm if it is indeed her son. Kim and Chris were extremely close as mother and son, she said, but her world fell apart when Chris was discovered dead at his grandmother’s home in November 2012.
Cops probed the death and informed Kim that he had died peacefully in his sleep. However, whilst Chris’ dad – Kim’s ex-partner – arranged the cremation, Kim claimed no funeral arrangements were ever discussed.
She was later given a small necklace containing a vial of ashes, supposedly belonging to her beloved son, reports the Daily Star. Kim felt something wasn’t right, though, and urged officers to reopen the investigations.
Weeks later, she received photographs of his body at the death scene, showing bruises and cuts.
“The photos were very disturbing,” Kim told The Sun. “There were restraining marks across Chris’ arms, chest and abdomen.”
Kim demanded a deeper look into Chris’ death and a toxicology report revealed there was a fatal quantity of cyanide in his body. The poisoning proved the breaking point for Kim, who is now convinced he was murdered.
In 2014, a jury opened a murder investigation into Chris’ death, but ultimately discovered no evidence supporting the homicide claim, officially determining his death was likely suicide. Kim remained adamant someone has killed her son and has kept campaigning for answers and proof he was murdered.
In 2018, she came across the Real Bodies exhibit and, after examining photos of the displayed bodies, she’s now convinced that one of them is her son. She pointed out that one of the bodies bears striking similarities to the crushed skull injury Chris would have likely sustained.
“I started looking online for the deep skull fracture I saw in Chris’ right temple of his head when he died,” she explained. “When I saw the platinated body online in the news article with this same skull fracture… it was too painful to look closer.”
Chris’ recognisable tattoos had been “shaved away” on the body in the exhibition – a peculiar feature, as tattoos usually remain on a preserved body due to the ink’s deep penetration. The only method to remove a tattoo is to peel off the skin it was applied on, something Kim believed was done to conceal the identity of the body.
Kim hasn’t actually visited the exhibition in person, as it’s too far from her home, but she has pleaded with the curators to hand over the remains to her. However, the exhibition bosses maintained that the bodies were sourced from China and there’s no feasible way to identify them.
Imagine Exhibitions, Inc. , the owner of Real Bodies, said: “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.”
