Case Summary:

In the case of Gary Betts v. Boone County, Illinois (Docket No. 25-1685), argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on February 13, 2026, the relevant facts are as follows:

The litigation stems from the 1977 murder of Louise Betts, whose remains were believed by her family to have been handled and buried intact by the then-Boone County Coroner, Wesley Hyland.

In November 2022, forty-four years after the burial, the Boone County Coroner’s Office revealed that the late Coroner Hyland had secretly and illegally retained Louise Betts' skull, along with the remains of other individuals, in his private possession.

Upon learning of this discovery, the plaintiffs, Gary and Earl Betts, were force ...