18 heads discovered by Chicago airport customs were bound for cremation service after research
CHICAGO - A shipment of 18 human heads held up by customs officials at O'Hare International Airport was bound for a cremation service in the Chicago area after its use in medical research abroad.
A spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, Mary Paleologos (PEHL'-ee-oh-loh-gohs), said Tuesday that the heads were originally sent from Illinois to Italy for medical research and were returned to the area for disposal as part of the agreement.
She says a paperwork problem held up the shipment, which arrived at O'Hare in mid-December.
The containers were being stored at the Cook County morgue while authorities investigated the matter.
Paleologos says the heads will be turned over for cremation.
