CHICAGO (Wales) — One family said their loved one was left in the Cook County Morgue for six weeks because his name was misspelled.

“My son did not deserve to lie in that morgue,” Ruthie McKinnie said. “So that’s very disrespectful.”

McKinnie and her family are furious with the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office and Chicago police because their son, Kelvin Davis, was in the morgue for six weeks and they had no idea.

The family said they began calling the coroner’s office weeks after Davis went missing.

“I told him he was a very tall man, six feet tall, with freckles, and very different looking. He said, ‘There’s no one here with that name,'” sister Deborah Smith said.

Thereupon, they reported him missing to the police.

“Thank God he had a tattoo of ‘dear mother’ in bold black letters on his arm, and without it I would never have found my son,” McKinnie said.

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Police alerted the coroner and realized Davis’ body had been there the entire time. The problem was that Kelvin Davis was entered into the forensic system as Kevin Davis.

When Davis was found at a friend’s house on June 3, that friend, who police say is a reliable source, called them “Kevin” and not “Kelvin,” according to a police report.

“You have to think about the fact that this person may have a family and someone who loves them and cares for them,” Smith said.

Responding to the family’s concerns about miscommunication, the ME’s office said, “We extend our deepest condolences to the family.”

They continued, “Our staff could not see Kelvin F. Davis in our system and cross-check with his date of birth.” Davis did not have any identification on him at the time of his death.

The medical examiner also said that “investigative agencies are involved in notifying close relatives of their loved one’s death, but if close relatives cannot be found within 10 days, MEO attempts to locate the family.” They added that the office was working with police to match the fingerprints.

CPD told the I-Team that fingerprints were taken at the time of death, but the fingerprints belonged to other names. Police said they were given the name “Kevin” at the scene, which is also the name they gave to the ME office.

in 2021 The I-Team reports another family searched for ME for almost two months They are looking for their lost loved ones. He was there the whole time and even had his ID on him.

As a result of this report, ME took disciplinary action and the Cook County Office of Inspector General investigated and identified failures and violations. The ME accepted the IG’s numerous recommendations to approve communications.

In her Austin neighborhood, Ayanna McFadden said she waited a month to get a call from the coroner who told her her son Malcolm’s body was there after he fell to his death on the tracks of the CTA Green Line. He had his ID on him at the time.

“I love my son and I miss my son,” he said. “But I know you won’t come back.”

“Our deepest condolences go out to the McFadden family,” ME said, telling the I-Team that Chicago police were unable to locate Malcolm’s family, so they searched a database and “found a tentative next of kin.” ME left a voicemail for his brother, not his mother, the day after Malcolm’s death.

Like many people today, his brother said he didn’t recognize the number, so he decided not to answer the call and saw the message weeks later.

“I want to see people held accountable for the actions they take because they are not right,” McFadden said.

Two mothers said the process made their pain even more excruciating.

“Everyone has someone who loves them, and I love my son,” McFadden said.

“You need to change the system to help us; this is serious,” McKinnie said.

The medical examiner’s report said Davis died of cardiovascular disease. The Davis family said they are still pushing for change to help improve communication at the medical examiner’s office. The family also filed complaints with the county board chairman, lawmakers and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.