No fetal remains found at shuttered Indiana abortion clinic

FILE - This image made from a Dec. 1, 2015, video provided by WNDU-TV shows Ulrich Klopfer in South Bend, Ind. Officials whose offices are investigating the discovery of more than 2,200 medically preserved fetal remains at an Illinois house of Dr. Klopfer who performed abortions for decades in Indiana will hold a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, to discuss the case. Klopfer died earlier this month. (WNDU-TV via AP, File)
FILE - This image made from a Dec. 1, 2015, video provided by WNDU-TV shows Ulrich Klopfer in South Bend, Ind. Officials whose offices are investigating the discovery of more than 2,200 medically preserved fetal remains at an Illinois house of Dr. Klopfer who performed abortions for decades in Indiana will hold a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, to discuss the case. Klopfer died earlier this month. (WNDU-TV via AP, File)

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) - A northern Indiana prosecutor said Thursday that authorities have found no fetal remains at a shuttered abortion clinic once operated by a late abortion doctor whose Illinois property was found to contain more than 2,200 medically preserved fetal remains.

St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter said police, prosecutors and members of the Indiana attorney general's office served a search warrant Thursday morning at the former South Bend abortion clinic where Dr. Ulrich Klopfer had performed abortions.

He said that boxes of medical records were found inside, but that "based on what we have seen so far there are no fetal remains here."

"At this point I can tell you that there are no fetal remains here. They're still investigating, they're still looking, but there does not appear to be any fetal remains here," Cotter said during a news conference outside the building.

He made his announcement shortly before officials in Illinois who are investigating the discovery of the fetal remains at Klopfer's home were set to speak at a news conference to discuss the case.

The Will County Sheriff's Office says the sheriff, county coroner and the county's top prosecutor would speak at 1:30 p.m. CDT Thursday outside the sheriff's office in Joliet. They will talk about elements of the investigation including the search of the home of Dr. Ulrich Klopfer, who died Sept. 3, and how the remains were stored.

The news conference marks the first time the officials will gather to discuss the case since last week when the remains were discovered inside a garage of the Will County residence.

Cotter said that authorities also searched a vacant lot in South Bend that's possibly connected to the shuttered clinic to determine whether or not fetal remains were buried there. Cadaver dogs searched that lot and no remains were found, he said, adding that the investigation of both properties is ongoing.

Cotter said Indiana's attorney general's office is reviewing whether medical records at the shuttered South Bend clinic had been properly disposed of and reviewed.

"There are a number of boxes of medical records so the AG's office will continue with that investigation," he said.

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