A Las Vegas museum has denied disturbing claims from Kim Erick, who believes her son’s body was used in the “Real Bodies” exhibit. Kim’s son, Chris Erick, died in 2012 at age 23 while staying at his grandmother’s home in Texas. Police ruled the death the result of two heart attacks caused by an undiagnosed condition, and his father and grandmother arranged a quick cremation, giving Kim a necklace said to contain his ashes.
Kim later received police photos that she felt showed injuries not mentioned in the report, leading her to suspect foul play. Although a 2014 investigation found no evidence, she insisted there was a cover-up.
In 2018, after researching plastination, Kim visited the Real Bodies show and recognized a skinned figure called “The Thinker” as her son, pointing to a matching skull fracture and the removal of skin where his tattoo had been. She demanded DNA testing, but organizers refused, saying the specimen had been legally sourced from China and on display since 2004—years before Chris’s death.
Imagine Exhibitions released a statement rejecting Kim’s claims, citing ethical sourcing and archived photos that placed the specimen in exhibits long before 2012. They also noted plastination takes up to a year, making her theory impossible.
After her accusations, “The Thinker” was quietly removed from the Las Vegas exhibit, and Kim says she has been unable to track its new location. She now hopes forensic testing of over 300 unidentified cremated remains found in Nevada in 2023 might bring answers about her son.