CHICAGO (WLS) — A family says they left their loved one at the Cook County morgue for six weeks because his or her name was misspelled.

“My son didn’t deserve to be in that morgue,” Ruthie McKinnie said. “I mean, it’s very disrespectful.”

McKinnie and her family are furious at 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 started calling the medical examiner’s office weeks after Davis disappeared.

“I gave the description that he’s very tall, 6’4″ and has freckles, and he has a very distinctive appearance,” Sister Deborah Smith said. “She said, ‘We don’t have anyone by that name here.'”

They then filed a missing person report with the police.

“Thank God he had a tattoo of ‘I love mommy’ in bold black letters on his arm and if he didn’t, I would never have found my baby,” McKinnie said.

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

According to a police report, when Davis was found June 3 at a friend’s apartment, that friend, who police said was a reliable source, gave them the name “Kevin,” not “Kelvin.”

“It’s like you have to think about the fact that this person may have a family and someone who loves them and cares about them,” Smith said.

The coroner’s office responded to the family’s concerns about the lack of communication by saying, “We express our deepest condolences to the family.”

They continued: “Our staff would not have seen Kelvin F. Davis in our system and would not have been able to verify his date of birth.” Davis did not have any identification with him at the time of his death.

The medical examiner also said that “it is up to the investigating agencies to notify next of kin of their loved one’s death, but if the next of kin is not located within 10 days, the MEO works to find the family.” “. They added that the office worked with police to match fingerprints.

CPD told the I-Team that fingerprints were taken at the time of death, but were returned to other names. Police said since they were given the name “Kevin” at the scene, that is the name they gave to the coroner’s office.

In 2021, the I-Team reported on another family that called the ME for almost two months searching for your missing loved one. He was there the entire time and even had identification.

As a result of that report, the ME took disciplinary action and the Cook County Inspector General’s Office investigated and found deficiencies and violations. The ME adopted the numerous recommendations of the IG to approve the communications.

In the Austin neighborhood, Ayanna McFadden said she waited a month to receive a call from the medical examiner, revealing that her son Malcolm’s body was there the entire time after he died after falling onto the CTA Green Line tracks. . At that time he had identification with him.

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

The coroner said, “Our deepest condolences go out to the McFadden family,” and told the I-Team that Chicago police had not located Malcolm’s family, so they did a database search and “found a tentative next of kin.” The coroner left a voicemail a day after his death for Malcolm’s brother, not his mother.

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

“I want people to be held accountable for the actions they took because they’re not right,” McFadden said.

Both mothers said the process made their pain even more agonizing.

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

“We have 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 fighting for changes to help improve communication in the medical examiner’s office. The family also filed complaints with the county board president, legislators and the Illinois Attorney General’s office.