Local media reports indicate that the Indiana State Department of Health approved a permit to have the body exhumed and reinterred on July 3. The request was submitted by Michael C. Thompson, Dillinger’s nephew.
It’s presently unknown why the request was made, and the permit does not indicate a reason for the move. However, the permit does note that the body will be exhumed and reinterred on September 16, Jeni O’Malley, spokesperson for the health department, told the AP.
According to the outlet, cemetery officials have reportedly not yet been made aware of the scheduled exhumation.
Dillinger is famously known for having been the leader of the Dillinger Gang, which participated in multiple bank robberies from 1933 to 1934 and included other well known gangsters such as Baby Face Nelson.
In June 1934, the FBI listed Dillinger as the US’ first “Public Enemy No. 1,” offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture. The following month, Dillinger was fatally shot by FBI agents in Chicago outside of the Biograph Theater.
Most recently, the Indiana-born gangster’s life was portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 2009 film “Public Enemies.”
