Cops: Hospital worker stole rings off body

DOWNERS GROVE | ER worker admits to crime, police say

During 53 years of marriage, Dolores Yukness of west suburban Lombard almost never removed the rings from her left hand.

But earlier this month, after she died at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, an emergency-room worker allegedly slipped off the rings and sold them, police said.

Felony theft charges are pending against a 36-year-old Romeoville man, said Kurt Bluder, a deputy chief for the Downers Grove Police.

A spokeswoman for Good Samaritan Hospital said the worker acted alone and is no longer employed by the hospital or any affiliated site.

"We have extended our sincere apology to the Yukness family with regard to this unfortunate incident," said Jennifer Dooley, the spokeswoman.

The worker was previously convicted of misdemeanor theft in Cook County in 2001, court records show. He was accused of stealing property from a dead body at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, a source said.

On July 2, Yukness, a cancer patient, was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital's emergency room and died after going into cardiac arrest. Her husband, William, a retired custodial worker for the village of Lombard, died in 2001.

Their daughter, Kristen Yukness, discovered that the rings were missing when she visited her mother at the funeral home in Lombard. She reported the theft to police.

Downers Grove detectives interviewed the worker, who admitted stealing the rings, Bluder said. The worker told detectives he sold them to a jewelry store in south suburban Lansing, officials said.

Police have recovered Dolores Yukness' wedding band and engagement ring, which were set with a total of six diamonds. The diamonds and rings had already been separated by the store, which was planning to melt down the rings for their gold, police said.

The theft has been traumatic for Kristen Yukness, who is a federal agent living in Georgia.

"She lost her dad about 10 years ago, then her only remaining parent, and now this?" said Adriana Gomez, a friend.

Cindy O'Keefe, an attorney for Kristen Yukness, praised detectives for identifying a suspect and tracking down the jewelry. But she accused the hospital of being uncooperative with her client.

"They were unsympathetic," said O'Keefe, adding that her client is considering a lawsuit against the hospital.

Contributing: Dan Rozek