720 ILCS 5/9-3.5 – Concealment of Death
This law makes it a crime to hide or move a dead body to keep people from finding out about the death.
This Illinois law says it’s a felony to hide or move someone’s body to prevent others from discovering how, where, or when the person died, unless you are a professional such as a doctor, firefighter, or funeral worker who is allowed to do so.
(a) For this section, “conceal” means doing something to keep people from discovering that someone has died. It means more than just staying quiet or not telling anyone.
(b) A person breaks this law if they knowingly hide the death of someone who was not murdered.
(c) A person also breaks this law if they intentionally move a dead body from where the person died in order to hide details about how, where, or by whom the person died. This rule does not apply to doctors, firefighters, police, coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, or anyone helping those professionals.
(d) Punishment: Concealment of death is a Class 4 felony, which typically carries a 3-6 year prison penalty.
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