Authorities in Chicago are rigorously probing a funeral home situated on the South Side after more than 50 bodies were uncovered, improperly stored and in varying stages of decomposition, on Thursday.
This unsettling discovery follows months of complaints from nearby residents who reported a pervasive “stench” emanating from the funeral home.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that both state and local officials had informed them about the improperly stored bodies at the South Chicago Chapel. Upon investigation, forensic pathologists and other investigators uncovered remains in different stages of decay.
On Friday, workers were seen loading bodies into an SUV outside the South Chicago Chapel. This followed the alarming discovery of over 50 improperly stored bodies during the investigation held the previous night in Chicago. (Pat Nabong / Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
“The staff is currently evaluating the conditions of the remains and is in the process of gathering documentation for the identification of the deceased, along with their death certificates,” the medical examiner’s office stated online. “This careful process could take several days to complete, ensuring the appropriate disposition.”
State officials suspended the license of one of the funeral home’s directors, alleging multiple bodies were kept in an unrefrigerated area under “deplorable conditions.”
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said the conditions included rodent and maggot infestations and that the lack of refrigeration had caused bodies to decompose.
No arrests or charges have been made in connection with the discovery, but Chicago police said detectives are investigating.
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 Media 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.”