The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office in Chicago reports that it processes approximately 7,000 cases annually, with the majority being completed without any complications and ensuring identification.
However, a fifth family has approached the I-Team, questioning why it took nearly two years to identify their loved one. They are seeking answers regarding the prolonged delay.
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“In a drawer, sealed up,” described Deborah Brandon.
Deborah has been haunted by nightmares about her 39-year-old son, Marlon Brandon, who remained at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office for roughly 21 months.
“I don’t understand. I never will understand it,” Deborah expressed.
Marlon was discovered in the Chicago River back in August 2021, but it wasn’t until Mother’s Day in 2023 that the medical examiner’s office identified him. His brother, Marcus, received the news via a phone call.
“It’s hard, because they explain it to your family,” Marcus said.
The family said Marlon struggled with mental illness. They were calling jails and hospitals, but they did not think to check with the medical examiner’s office.
“All kinds of thoughts were running through my mind. But I never thought that he was in the Cook County morgue. That thought never crossed my mind,” Deborah said.
The family says police would not file a missing person’s report. The Chicago Police Department did not comment on the family’s specific allegation, but pointed to state law, saying department members “may not refuse to complete a Missing or Found Person Report on any grounds.”
Since 2021, the I-Team has uncovered four similar complaints about bodies sitting unidentified in the Cook County morgue. In each case, the medical examiner’s office said it did all it could with the information available.
“I could not believe that other people were going through this same identical thing,” Deborah said.
The medical examiner says when Marlon was found in the Chicago River, he did not have an ID. The medical examiner says the Chicago Police Department “tried to obtain fingerprints but were unable to do so due to the level of decomposition.” The morgue says it also submitted a DNA sample to authorities.
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Then, in September 2021, the ME posted information in the “unidentified” section of the website, and the case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. There was also another failed attempt to take fingerprints in 2022.
The ME says in April 2023, it used the FBI’s “enhanced identification methods,” and they “invited the FBI to our office in April 2023 to obtain fingerprints from all unidentified decedents, including this case.” That’s when Marlon’s identity was confirmed, and the ME says his family was located a month later.
“The answer was, we couldn’t identify him, and his body had been in the Chicago River too long,” Marcus said.
So, why did it take so long to get the FBI involved? In its statement, the medical examiner said it had not learned of those enhanced methods until April 2023, and that “in 2024, the FBI formalized partnerships nationwide.” The FBI told the I-Team that it “regularly works” with medical professional partners to help identify remains. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office declined repeated requests for an on-camera interview.
“Decomposed bodies are something that are very common,” said Los Angeles County Medical Examiner Chief of Medical Examiner Investigations Brian Elias.
Los Angeles County is the only county larger than Cook County.
When asked if his office generally uses the FBI to help identify decomposed bodies, Elias said, “We don’t, as a rule, use the FBI for that; there are avenues where we do work with them in certain cases.”
Elias says his office uses in-house dental x rays, rapid DNA, and other methods to identify decomposed bodies.
“Treating the decomposed tissue to get it to a condition where we can fingerprint it,” Elias said.
The Brandons say they still want more answers on the delay and justice for Marlon.
“They never apologized,” Deborah said.
Police say no foul play was suspected in Marlon’s death.
The ME’s office added that it uses dental and other consultations to help them identify bodies, and that people with missing loved ones should check its website where they list unidentified people. Families can also attend an annual “missing persons day” event that the ME’s office holds in the spring.
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