CHICAGO (WLS) — The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office faces the pressing task of identifying 56 bodies discovered in deteriorated conditions at the South Chicago Chapel earlier this month. Currently, only nine of these cases remain unresolved, according to officials.
In a revealing conversation with the ABC7 I-Team, Cook County Medical Examiner Dr. Ponni Arunkumar remarked that handling such a significant number of cases is a first for her and her team.
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“In the 22 years I’ve been here, I’ve never encountered an instance where 56 cases arrived simultaneously at our office,” Arunkumar explained when asked to recall any similar past events.
Forensic teams within the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office have been putting in extra hours to determine the identities of the deceased. While identification is straightforward when bodies are well-preserved, typically involving either family recognition or fingerprint verification, the improperly stored remains from the funeral home necessitate more intricate identification techniques.
“Many were in moderate to advanced stages of decomposition, making visual identification impossible,” Arunkumar noted. “This complicates and delays our identification efforts.”
For cases involving severe decomposition, investigators rely on X-rays and dental examinations. Technicians scan the remains for medical devices and surgical implants that can be matched to records. Arunkumar said a double knee replacement helped positively identify one individual found at South Chicago Chapel.
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Dental records also play a key role in the identification process.
“If you look at the teeth, you can see there are more ways to compare there,” Arunkumar said.
The 56 sets of remains were discovered Aug. 6, and as of Monday, nine remained unidentified, primarily those in the most advanced stages of decomposition.
The medical examiner’s office is also using rapid DNA technology in its most difficult cases.
“We have the equipment necessary to do our work. So, it’s just staff putting in additional hours to identify these people and examine them to give, in some instances, cause of death. Because some cases there’s no death certificate for the decisions,” Arunkumar said.
When identifications cannot be made at the medical examiner’s office, DNA comparisons are conducted by state police and, in some cases, the FBI.
“For us, our mission is to treat our decedents with dignity and respect and give closure to families,” Arunkumar said.
The medical examiner’s office also received dozens of cremated remains but does not have the ability to identify them. Officials said the office is offering free cremation services for families whose loved ones were found at South Chicago Chapel and have since been identified.
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