Chicago officials have launched an investigation into a South Side funeral home after authorities found more than 50 bodies stored improperly, with some remains already in advanced stages of decomposition, officials said Thursday.
The troubling discovery followed months of complaints from neighbors, who said a persistent “stench” had been coming from the funeral home.
According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, state and local agencies notified officials about improperly stored human remains at South Chicago Chapel. Investigators and forensic pathologists who arrived at the scene found bodies in varying conditions of decomposition.
Workers load bodies into an SUV outside South Chicago Chapel on Friday, after authorities found more than 50 bodies improperly stored at the funeral home during an investigation the previous night in Chicago. (Pat Nabong /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
“Staff is assessing the conditions of the remains, searching for documentation regarding identification of the decedents as well as death certificates,” the medical examiner’s office said in an online statement. “This process could take several days to ensure proper disposition.”
Illinois regulators have suspended the license of one of the funeral home’s directors, accusing the business of keeping multiple bodies in an unrefrigerated space under what officials described as “deplorable conditions.”
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said inspectors documented rodent and maggot infestations, adding that the absence of proper refrigeration contributed to the decomposition of the remains.
No arrests have been announced and no charges have been filed, but Chicago police said detectives are continuing to investigate the case.
Chicago police are seen outside the South Chicago Chapel after authorities discovered dozens of decomposing bodies in the funeral home’s basement on Thursday. (Tyler Pasciak /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
State business records show funeral director Johanna Morgan incorporated South Chicago Chapel Inc. in 2022. Her funeral director’s license was temporarily suspended Wednesday.
The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said the suspension was based on a finding that Morgan’s continued practice posed “a danger to the public safety, interest and welfare.”
The agency accused Morgan of “allowing multiple decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies.”
The funeral home is operated by a couple who previously ran a crematory that authorities said was also shut down over the mishandling of remains.
Authorities are investigating the South Chicago Chapel on Chicago’s South Side after more than 50 bodies were found improperly stored and in various states of decomposition, officials said. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Business records identify Clark Morgan, whom state officials describe as Johanna Morgan’s husband, as president of the funeral home. His funeral director’s license was revoked in 2024 for practicing with an expired license and “unprofessional conduct.”
News Outlet has reached out to South Chicago Chapel for comment.
Latasha Johnson, 55, said her mother’s funeral was held at South Chicago Chapel on Thursday, shortly before authorities arrived and made the discovery.
Johnson told The Associated Press that authorities informed her that her mother’s body would need to undergo an autopsy and that she would have to identify the remains within the next several days.
“I’m discombobulated,” Johnson said. “My heart is broken.”
