The Real Bodies exhibition controversy centers less on the logistics of the display and more on unresolved grief and the search for closure. Kim Erick’s 23-year-old son, Christopher Todd Erick, died in 2012 under circumstances that left questions unanswered. Although authorities initially attributed his death to cardiac issues, subsequent concerns over bruising prompted a homicide investigation. The grand jury ultimately found no evidence of foul play, and with Christopher’s body cremated soon after his death, Kim was left without the chance to fully verify or reconcile the circumstances surrounding his passing.

Years later, Kim encountered a plastinated cadaver in the touring Real Bodies exhibition, which she believed resembled her late son, including features she interpreted as a skull fracture and missing tattooed skin. Driven by grief and a desire for answers, she requested DNA testing to confirm identity. The exhibition organizers declined, citing legal sourcing from China in the early 2000s—well before Christopher’s death—and archived documentation shows the specimen existed in displays as early as 2006, making it impossible for it to be him.

While investigators and independent fact-checkers have verified the timeline, the situation illustrates the deep emotional complexities surrounding public displays of human remains. For Kim, the intersection of unresolved grief and questions of transparency continues to shape her advocacy, highlighting how exhibitions that are legally and logistically sound can nonetheless reopen personal wounds. The controversy underscores the importance of sensitivity, clear provenance, and communication when human bodies are displayed for public education.