A truly shocking case is moving the United States: a mother recognized her son’s body in a public anatomy exhibition, years after his death. Kim Smith, an Arizona resident, identified the body of Christopher Todd Erick, her son, at the “Real Bodies” exhibition in Las Vegas. He pᴀssed away in 2019, at the age of 23, after a mental health crisis, and was mistakenly declared as indigent, which allowed his body to be donated without family consent.
Kim said the state failed to notify her, even though she was registered as an emergency contact. The pain increased when she discovered that her son’s body had been plastinated, a process that preserves corpses for anatomical displays, and displayed to the public. Since then, she has been fighting a legal battle to get the remains returned and guarantee him a dignified burial.
The case raises sensitive discussions about ethics, consent and the limits of science and entertainment when they involve human bodies. For Kim, it’s not just about justice, but about respect and humanity, in her fight for her son to get the final rest he deserves.
