Museum issues response to mum's claims she 'discovered son's dead body on display in museum'
Warning: This article contains graphic imagery and upsetting themes.
The museum that Chris Todd Erick’s mother believes has been 'displaying his body' since his death has responded to her claims.
For nearly eight years, Kim Erick has been adamant that the Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas has been showcasing the 'butchered' remains of 23-year-old Chris, who passed away in 2012.
His death was ruled a suicide after a toxicology report found that he had a lethal dose of cyanide in his system. However, it was initially believed that he died due to suffering two heart attacks in his sleep, caused by a heart defect, at his grandmother's home.
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But when Kim asked the Midlothian Police Department for the photos taken at the scene, she began to believe there was a conspiracy surrounding his death.
She claimed Chris had been covered in bruises and lacerations when he died and alleged there was a chair at the scene with straps attached to it.
There was also no funeral as her ex-partner, Chris’s dad, arranged the cremation during her time of grief.
When a 2014 murder probe turned up empty, Kim was left without answers, until she stumbled upon the Real Bodies exhibit in 2018 and came face-to-face with what she believes is her 'plastinated' son.
The 'Thinker' is a skinned body that was on display at the Horseshoe hotel, along with 19 other perfectly preserved human specimens, which aim to help people understand human anatomy and physiology.
Kim, 54, recently 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.”
However, despite asking for a DNA test to be done, nothing has happened even though she claimed that a skull fracture mark is the 'same' on the body as Chris’ head.
Kim also alleges that an area where Chris had a tattoo had been shaved from the display.
Now, the mum says the body was moved to Tennessee, which nobody can apparently account for.
In a statement to Lead Stories, Imagine Exhibitions, Inc., which owns Real Bodies, has responded to the allegations.
The company 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.”
It has also previously claimed the bodies came from China and were first introduced to the display 20 years ago.
Lead Stories also claimed to have found images of the body which predates Chris' death, and noted that the art of plastination takes a year to complete as it replaces fluids and fats in a body with a solid preservative material, as per Body Worlds.
Because the body cannot be found in Tennessee, as per Kim, she believes he could even be one of the hundreds of piles of cremated remains found in Nevada earlier this year.
However, there is no evidence to suggest Chris is among the unidentifiable piles.
LADbible has contacted Real Bodies for further comment.
Britt Jones