Museum denies mom’s claim that displayed body is her deceased son
Kim Erick believes her son’s remains were used in a popular anatomy exhibit without consent, but the museum says her story doesn’t add up
A mother who lost her son in 2012 is now fighting to prove his body was put on public display in a Las Vegas museum — but the exhibition insists that’s impossible.
Kim Erick, a mother from Texas, was visiting the Real Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas in 2018 when she came face-to-face with something she never expected: a plastinated figure called “The Thinker” that she believes is the body of her late son, Chris Todd Erick.
Chris died in 2012 at the age of 23. At the time, police ruled it a natural death caused by heart failure. His body was quickly cremated by other family members, and Kim was given a necklace with what she was told were his ashes. But she always had doubts about the official story.
“I knew it was him,” she told The Sun. “It was unbelievably painful. My words cannot describe how this shook me and my family to its core.”
Kim noticed the figure had a skull fracture near the right temple — an injury she says was also noted in her son’s medical records. She also said the body’s shoulder looked like it had been deliberately cut to remove a tattoo — a possible attempt to hide her son’s identity.
Real Bodies responds to the claims
The owners of Real Bodies, Imagine Exhibitions, denied Kim’s allegations, saying the figure she saw had been on display since 2004 — eight years before Chris’s death.
“There is no factual basis for these claims,” the company said in a public statement. “All specimens are legally sourced and biologically unidentifiable. We extend our sympathy to the family, but this individual could not be connected to our exhibit in any way.”
They also explained that plastination — the process of preserving bodies for display — takes up to a year to complete, making it impossible for Chris’s remains to have been used so soon after his death.
To back up their timeline, several news outlets shared archived photos of “The Thinker” that show it was already on display long before 2012.
Despite the museum’s firm denial, Kim remains convinced. She launched a public petition demanding a DNA test of the figure. So far, her requests have been denied.
“The Thinker” was eventually removed from the Las Vegas exhibit and reportedly transferred to another location. Kim lost track of it after that. “Chris was never abandoned in life, and I don’t want him abandoned in death either,” she wrote on Facebook.
Her quest for answers continued when, in 2023, over 300 unidentified cremated remains were discovered in the Nevada desert. Kim is now calling for forensic tests on those ashes to see if any contain plastination chemicals that could be linked to her son.
This emotional case has sparked debate about the ethics of body exhibits. While shows like Real Bodies are promoted as educational experiences, critics argue that the sourcing of cadavers — especially from overseas — needs to be more transparent.
Kim’s story is also a reminder of how grief, unanswered questions, and a mother’s instinct can fuel long-term investigations that stretch far beyond official police reports.
Kim Erick’s claim may never be proven — but her story raises powerful questions about respect for the dead, trust in institutions, and what justice looks like for grieving families. Whether she finds the answers she’s looking for or not, her fight has already started a bigger conversation.
