Smell at morgue due to large number of bodies, limited freezer space, Kane County coroner says

Smell at morgue due to large number of bodies, limited freezer space, Kane County coroner says amid complaints


The odor of decomposing bodies being held at the Kane County morgue has become so noticeable that other Kane County employees have started to complain, Coroner Rob Russell said.

In the past few weeks, nine bodies in advanced stages of decomposition have come into the morgue. With limited freezer and refrigeration space — and an air-handling system retrofitted into a 100-year-old building — it’s inevitable the smell would not be contained, Russell said.

And that, he said, is not only offensive to the people who have to work there but disrespectful to the deceased people and their families, especially given that the county’s stray animals are housed in a better facility.

“We need a different building, a larger building,” Russell said. “It is the same old story. This morgue has needed to be replaced for 20 years.”

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/elgin-courier-news/news/ct-ecn-kane-morgue-decomposing-bodies-st-0617-story.html