I am writing this petition with a heavy heart, compelled by the devastating experience my family endured when my son was wrongly identified and left at the Cook County morgue for 39 days. During this time, no one from the Chicago Police Department or the morgue reached out to us. This tragic incident should never happen to any family, and it is crucial that we take action to ensure it does not happen again.

My son passed away on June 3. For days, we searched for him throughout the city, calling various agencies and institutions repeatedly, including the morgue. Each time, they told us he was not there. Finally, on July 9, we filed a missing person report, only to receive a call from the morgue on July 10. The Officer informed me she had him under the name “Alvin” not “Kelvin” and she was going to correct the name. They informed me that my son was there but had been misidentified not once, but twice—first as "Kevin" on the police report and then as "Alvin" at the morgue. Despite his tattoo reading "Love, Mom" on his right arm—a clear identifying marker—he lay unclaimed for 39 days. If I had not filed that missing person report and recognized the tattoo when describing him, my son would still be there.

Throughout this agonizing period, we were never provided with information on how to check the morgue’s website for claimed or unclaimed individuals. Each time we called, we gave distinctive descriptions of my son’s characteristics, yet we were repeatedly told he was not there. The negligence and lack of communication from the morgue and police have added to our immeasurable grief.

Currently, the practices in place at the Cook County morgue are inadequate. The failure to properly identify deceased individuals and the lack of timely communication with grieving families are unacceptable. The emotional toll on our  family in a  situation such as this is beyond measure, and the distress caused by such negligence cannot be overstated.

We are calling for a complete overhaul of the Cook County morgue's identification and notification processes. We urge the implementation of reliable methods, such as fingerprinting, to ensure all decedents are accurately identified. Additionally, we call for consistent and timely notifications to families, so they are not left in limbo for weeks or months, wondering about the whereabouts of their loved ones.

We also advocate for the creation of clear, compassionate guidelines that provide grieving families with proper communication, resources, and support during these unimaginably difficult times. It is essential that families receive accurate information and the help they need to guide them through this process.

Let us come together to demand immediate reform. With your support, we can hold the Cook County morgue accountable, improve their practices, and deliver much-needed relief to grieving families. Please sign this petition to help prevent this heart-wrenching tragedy from happening to anyone else.