OAK PARK (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - An Oak Park hospital is accused of improperly storing the body of a 71-year-old woman.
Carol Walton was admitted to West Suburban Medical Center after suffering a stroke. Her family said she got COVID and pneumonia and died on December 17.
Four days later the owner of a funeral home went to pick up the body. He spoke to CBS-2 on the condition that his identity not be released. He said her body was not in a cooler as it should have been.
"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 body was decomposed, he said.
"There is no question she was not in a properly refrigerated room or morgue, former Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said after pictures were sent to him.
Tenea Adams is the woman’s sister.
"That picture is still in my head every time I close my eyes. I can't sleep...because that's the worst thing I've ever seen," Adams said.
"The claim about Ms. Walton's remains being outside of the morgue is false," a spokesperson for West Suburban Medical Center said.
The spokesperson said they monitor and inspect all equipment regularly and make repairs as needed.
CBS-2 asked if the equipment was inspected and if a repair was made after Dec. 21-when the family said the decomposition was brought to the hospital's attention.
"We have no further comments," the spokesperson said.
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