Thousands of fetal remains found on Illinois property of deceased doctor

[September 16, 2019]  (Reuters) - More than 2,200 preserved fetal remains have been found on the Illinois property of a recently deceased doctor who performed abortions, the Will County sheriff's office said in a statement.

The family and attorney of Ulrich Klopfer, who died on Sept. 3, discovered 2,246 medically preserved fetal remains on Thursday while going through the deceased doctor's personal property and alerted the local coroner's office, the sheriff's office said.

"The family is cooperating fully with this investigation. There is no evidence that any medical procedures were conducted at the property," the statement, issued on Friday, said.

Will County is located about 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Chicago. The Will County Sheriff and Coroner's office could not immediately be reached for comment on Saturday.

The coroner's office confiscated the remains and the investigation is ongoing.

Klopfer performed abortions for decades at three clinics in Indiana. His medical license was revoked by that state's medical board in 2016 for violating documentation requirements and failing to exercise reasonable care, the South Bend Tribune reported at the time.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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