From Iceland — Bobby Fischer’s Body Exhumed

Bobby Fischer’s Body Exhumed

Published July 5, 2010

Rex Beckett

The remains of chess champion Bobby Fischer were exhumed last night from the Laugardælir Cemetery near Selfoss, according to Morgunblaðið.
The Supreme Court of Iceland ruled last month to exhume Bobby‘s body in order to acquire DNA samples for paternity testing. Marilyn Young, a woman from the Philippines with whom Bobby had a relationship, claims he is the biological father of her daughter, Jinky. She is currently involved in a legal dispute between Bobby‘s American relatives and a Japanese woman who once married him over his 1.3 million pound (2 million USD) estate. The courts ruled that Jinky deserved to know her true patronage and that in order to determine who has rights to the inheritance, it was necessary to exhume his body.
The exhumation was carried out according to the court‘s ruling and overseen by the Sheriff of Selfoss, Ólafur Helgi Kjartansson. Members of the Parish, medical professionals and several lawmen were present as well to oversee the procedure.
Fischer moved to Iceland in 2005 and gained citizenship in order to avoid deportation to the United States, where he faced charges for breaking international sanctions. He died in a Reykjavík hospital of kidney failure in 2008.

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