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| Office of the medical examiner in Chicago |
(Scroll down for video) With Chicago, Illinois, suffering the highest homicide rate in the United States, the medical examiner’s office has decided to take an unconventional step to help identify unclaimed dead bodies.
In an effort to help families find their loved ones, the coroner of Chicago, on Wednesday began publishing photos of unclaimed bodies on its website.
The website comes with a disclaimer warning viewers about the disturbing photos.
"Please be aware of the potentially graphic nature of the images that you are about to see" the website warns.
"Some photos are of autopsies of unidentified persons, while some may be somewhat damaged," the website warns.
On Thursday, the site published seven photographs of three unclaimed bodies, two that have been in the morgue since 2011 and one from 2010.
Along with the photos, the website, was recently redesigned to provide other identifying details such as height, clothing or tattoos, the spokesperson for Cook County Medical Examiner's Office told a local Chicago newspaper.
Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Steve Cina, admitted that the photos were hard to look at, but said it is crucial to help families and friends identify their loved ones.
"We hope that the picture can trigger the memory of someone who might know the person who grew up down the street, or the person who lived nearby," Cina told a local television news station.Mobile video not loading? Click here to view