Family says West Suburban Medical Center failed to store deceased loved one's body properly
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A West Side family is heartbroken because they weren't able to have an open casket for their loved one.
As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reported Tuesday night, the deceased woman's family claims her remains were not properly stored at an Oak Park hospital, a claim the hospital denies.
"She was the funny one in the family," Tenea Adams said of her late sister, Carol Walton. "She was a bus attendant. She did crossing guard. She loved children."
Walton died on Dec. 17 at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park. Her sister said the 71-year-old suffered a stroke.
Walton spent three weeks in the hospital recovering. During that time, she caught COVID-19.
Among the things listed for Walton's official cause of death were pneumonia and stroke. On Dec. 21, the funeral home in charge of Walton's service went to the hospital to pick up her body.
"It was not in the freezer," said the owner of the funeral home.
The funeral home owner and funeral director spoke to us under the condition we not reveal their identities, as they feel it may affect their relationship with hospitals.
"After they showed us where the body was at, which was in a separate room - which was a warm room - we was very shocked," the funeral home owner said. "Very shocked."
The funeral home owner said the body was in an area known as an autopsy suite. The funeral home director says they identified Walton's body by a tag placed on the foot, which is the protocol. He said about 20 minutes after picking up Walton's body, they arrived at the funeral home for embalming.
When they got back to the funeral home, the funeral director said: "We saw, just, decomposition. She was decomposed."
The funeral director was especially surprised because he had picked up Walton's body from a hospital.
"From a hospital - right. Not from a house, from a hospital," he said. "It's supposed to be a climate controlled cooler, but she wasn't in the cooler - she was in the autopsy suite."
The funeral home owner said he immediately took pictures of the condition of Walton's body and had the heartbreaking task of sharing them with her sister. CBS 2 has viewed the photographs, which appear to be dated Dec. 21, 2022.
With the family's permission, the photos were also shared with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
"That picture is still in my head every time I close my eyes. I can't sleep," Adams said, "because that's the worst thing I've ever seen."
Adams wanted to have an open casket funeral for her sister. Loved ones had been unable to visit Walton in the hospital because she had COVID-19.
A spokesperson for West Suburban Medical Center told us, "The claim about Ms. Walton's remains being outside of the morgue is false."
We asked former Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper to look at the photos of Walton's body, which the funeral home owner said were taken about 20 minutes after the body was removed from the hospital.
Cooper told us: "There is no question she was not in a properly refrigerated room or morgue. Based on the photos I reviewed, I would say this woman was left out of the morgue for at least two days."
He added that if Walton's body was in the morgue, it was not at proper temperature.
A hospital spokesperson says they monitor and inspect all equipment regularly and make repairs as needed.
Le Mignot asked if the equipment was inspected and if a repair was made after Dec. 21 - when the family tells us the decomposition was brought to the hospital's attention. She was told in response, "We have no further comments."
"I have to fight, and I wanted to make sure I took proper steps to go and make sure they don't get to do this ever again to another family," Adams said.
We reached out to the Illinois Department of Public Health, The Joint Commission, and the Illinois Attorney General Health Care Bureau to see what the standards are for storing human remains at a hospital morgue.
The Joint Commission told us standards for dignity and respect include the deceased when they remain at a hospital.
The Illinois Department of Public Health told us they are not in the position currently to comment on the facts of the case or the significance, until they have looked into the matter further.