Attorney General Curtis Hill has released a preliminary report on his office’s investigation into 2,411 medically preserved fetal remains and thousands of medical records discovered in the fall of 2019 among the personal belongings of the late Dr. Ulrich Klopfer, who performed abortions at clinics in Fort Wayne, Gary and South Bend.
Amid new details in the report is the fact that, based on the poor condition of the fetal remains and unreliable nature of the accompanying records, it is not possible to make an independent verification of the identities of the individual fetal remains. Accordingly, Attorney General Hill intends to have the fetal remains interred in a respectful and dignified manner in accordance with state law. Further, the Office of the Attorney General will follow state law in maintaining and safeguarding the medical records until such a time as they can be disposed of properly.
In addition, investigators have determined the remains appear to be from abortions Dr. Klopfer performed in Indiana from 2000 through 2003. At an earlier stage of the investigation, authorities believed the remains came from abortions performed from 2000 through 2002.
“From the time we first learned of the gruesome discovery of these remains,” Attorney General Hill said, “we have sought to exercise our statutory authority with great care and prudence. This case exemplifies the need for strong laws to ensure the dignified disposition of fetal remains, like those passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2016 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019.”
The preliminary report, which will be followed by a final report in coming months, is attached. It is also published at the Attorney General’s website.
