Emmett Louis Till Autopsy Report

The Office of the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners is in receipt of your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act (the "Act"). Your request has been received in this office on 1/21/2024 and given the reference number R004002-012124 for tracking purposes. Records Requested: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:

Autopsy report for Emmett Louis Till, who died on August 28, 1955 and was exhumed from Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois on June 1, 2005, for autopsy and examination.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Katie King

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
Your request will be forwarded to the relevant department(s) to locate the information you seek and to determine the volume and any costs associated with satisfying your request. You will be contacted about the availability and/or provided with copies of the records in question.
You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below and you'll receive an email when your request has been completed.
Thank you,
Rachel

--- Please respond above this line ---

January 29, 2024
RE: FOIA # R004002-012124
Dear Ms. King,
The Office of the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners is in receipt of your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act (the "Act").
On January 21, 2024, we received your request for the following:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:

Autopsy report for Emmett Louis Till, who died on August 28, 1955 and was exhumed from Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois on June 1, 2005, for autopsy and examination.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Katie King

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
Please be advised that we are in possession of the following records responsive to your request:

* Record of Disinterment
* Report of Exhumation and Postmortem Examination
* Results of Toxicologic Analyses
* Body Sheet
* Case Report
* Weight Sheet
* First Call Sheet
Section 6(b) of the Act states [e]xcept when a fee is otherwise fixed by statute, each public body may charge fees reasonably calculated to reimburse its actual cost for reproducing and certifying public records and for the use, by any person, of the equipment of the public body to copy records.  No fees shall be charged for the first 50 pages of black and white, letter or legal sized copies requested by a requester.  The fee for black and white, letter or legal sized copies shall not exceed 15 cents per page.
5 ILCS 140/6(b) (emphasis added).  The fees for copies of records prepared by the Office of the Medical Examiner are set forth by both state statute and county ordinance.
Section 4-7001 of the Counties Code authorizes the county to charge the following fees:
* For a copy of a transcript of sworn testimony: $5.00 per page.
* For a copy of an autopsy report (if not included in transcript); $50.00.
* For a copy of the verdict of a coroner's jury: $5.00.
* For a copy of a toxicology report: $25.00.
* For a print of or an electronic files containing a picture obtained by the coroner: actual cost or $3.00, whichever is greater.
* For each copy of miscellaneous reports, including artist's drawings but not including police reports: actual cost or $25.00, whichever is greater.
* For a coroner's or medical examiner's permit to cremate a dead human body: $50.00.
55 ILCS 5/4-7001.  Pursuant to this section of the Counties Code, the Cook County Board of Commissioners enacted sections 38-144 and 32-1 of the Cook County Code of Ordinances.
Section 38-144 of the Code authorizes the county to charge fees for copies of autopsy reports, toxicology reports and miscellaneous reports, with the fees set in section 32-1.  Section 32-1 mirrors section 4-7001 of the Counties Code, authorizing the county to charge $50.00 for copies of autopsy reports and $25.00 for copies of toxicology and miscellaneous reports.  Neither the Counties Code nor our ordinance contain a fee waiver/reduction provision.
Thus, pursuant to state statute and county ordinance, the total fee for copies of Medical Examiner reports in our possession is $200.00.
If you wish to purchase copies of the records, please note that we do not accept cash. Only credit cards, checks or money orders made out to the Cook County Comptroller. If you wish to purchase records, please let me know and I will send additional instructions. In the event you do not wish to purchase copies, we will make the records available for you to review.  Please contact me to schedule a time that is convenient for you.  Please note that neither the state statute nor the county ordinance permit individuals to take any photographs of the records during inspection.
Thank you,
Rachel
Rachel Dailey
Administrative Assistant V & FOIA Officer
Office of the President
(O) 312-603-0002
Rachel.Dailey@cookcountyil.gov