Kim Erick, 54, was visiting the Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas when she was left horrified after seeing the body of what she believes to be her son, who she thought had taken his own life
A heartbroken mum was left horrified when she believed she had stumbled upon her son’s remains on display in a museum.
Kim Erick, 54, was visiting the Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas when she encountered what she is convinced is the body of her son. She was left traumatised after seeing his body “skinned” and “butchered” for public viewing.
However, the museum denied that the body is her son’s. The police also reassured Kim that it had thoroughly investigated her son Chris’s death and were confident that no foul play was involved.
But, Kim remained convinced that there is a sinister aspect to his death and his alleged appearance in the museum.
The Texas-born mum recalled 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.
“I was actually looking at pictures of my son’s skinned, butchered body,” she added. “It is gut-wrenching.”
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The remains were part of the Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas, which showcases actual human bodies that have been meticulously preserved, offering visitors a unique insight into their own anatomy. Now, she is pleading for DNA tests to be conducted on the corpse to confirm if it is indeed her son.
Kim and Chris shared a profound bond as mother and son, she said. But her world was shattered when Chris was discovered dead in November 2012 at his grandmother’s home.
Police investigated his death and informed Kim that he had died peacefully in his sleep. However, whilst Chris’s 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 wasn’t convinced and suspected something wasn’t right, urging police to reopen the investigation. Weeks afterwards, 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’s arms, chest and abdomen.”
Kim kept demanding further investigation into Chris’s 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.
A jury in 2014 subsequently opened a murder investigation into Chris’s 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’s 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’s 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 has never visited the exhibition herself, as it was too distant for her to travel to, 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, issued a statement in response.
It 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.”
