CHICAGO (WLS) — On a disturbing Friday morning, authorities removed a significant number of decomposing bodies from a funeral home on Chicago’s Southeast Side. The grim discovery had been made the evening before, shocking the community and authorities alike.
Efforts are underway by the Cook County Medical Examiner to identify the remains discovered at the South Chicago Chapel, located on 95th Street. The scene has sparked outrage and disbelief among local residents and families involved.
Throughout the night and into the early hours of Friday morning, a procession of vans transported the bodies away from the South Chicago Chapel. Officials reported nearly 60 bodies were left to decompose, improperly stored at temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Alarmingly, local residents had been complaining about a persistent foul odor in the vicinity for several months.
The revelation that 56 bodies had been stored in such a deplorable state has left families using the South Chicago Chapel in shock and demand for explanations is mounting. Many are grappling with the distressing news and seeking clarification on how such neglect could have occurred.
On Friday, families arrived at the funeral home, desperate for answers. ABC7 has captured heart-wrenching accounts of their frustration and sorrow. Several families report experiencing long waits for their loved one’s remains, only to now face uncertainty over whether the remains they received are indeed those of their loved ones.
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Several bodies were removed from the home Friday and driven away in vans to be identified. It could take days to identify all of the remains, which officials say were improperly stored.
“It’s crazy,” Valkiery Velez, who lives next door to the funeral home, said. “I have a kid too. And to have him smell that, it’s insane.”
Neighbors said they’ve smelled a foul odor around South Chicago Chapel for weeks, if not months.
“Oh man, it’s awful,” Velez said. “I’ve lived here for about a year and I could smell it this entire year. It’s like dead rodents, dead animals, you can smell it yeah.”
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said investigators found more than 50 bodies in various states of decomposition Thursday in the South Deering funeral home. Teams are now working to identify the deceased and review records, including death certificates to notify families as quickly as possible.
“We don’t know if Melody is in there or not,” Patrice Halliburton, whose sister was cremated at the home, said. “So right now, we’re more fearful that she is than we are angry.”
Halliburton’s sister Melody Johnson passed away May 23. They held her funeral services on June 13 and had her cremated at South Chicago Chapel. She said they picked up what they believed were her ashes a week later, but now are questioning if in fact the ashes of those of their loved.
“I have no idea how something like this could happen,” Haliburton said. “I have no idea how someone’s conscience could allow something like this to happen. There are no words and I’m really concerned about my niece and my nephews because this is their mom. And they don’t know, and for them to have an urn and they don’t know who is there, if that is really their mom, this is a really difficult time for them.”
Families in South Deering are now left with more questions than answers.
“We don’t know if we have her remains,” Haliburton said. “We don’t know if she’s still there. We have no idea and they won’t answer any of our phone calls.”
Latasha Johnson said she became concerned shortly before her mother’s funeral Thursday. Johnson recalled pulling back a curtain inside the funeral home and seeing a body.
“I pulled a curtain back. There’s a body laying there. I’m thinking this must be what they do in the funeral home,” Johnson said.
Police arrived at the funeral home as Johnson’s mother’s funeral was taking place Thursday and awaited a warrant to search the property. Hours later, the medical examiner reported the discovery of 56 bodies stored improperly.
Johnson said she also noticed what she described as a strong odor inside the funeral home. She said the funeral director’s husband attributed the smell to mildew.
“He got Lysol. You spraying Lysol over death,” Johnson said.
The discovery has left other families seeking information about their loved ones.
“I just want my mama body back. Y’all can do whatever else you want to do just please give me my mama back,” said Franquella Campbell, whose family also used South Chicago Chapel.
Charlene Bays said it took the funeral home nearly three months last year to provide her brother’s ashes.
“I’m not even sure who they gave us. I don’t even know if it’s him or not because they made us wait so long, gave us the runaround,” Bays said.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which licenses funeral directors, said it has suspended the license of funeral director Johanna Morgan. The agency also revoked the license of her husband, Clark Morgan, in 2024.
Last year, the state comptroller shut down a Chicago Heights crematory owned by Clark Morgan after more than 100 bodies were improperly stored there.
The state said Johanna Morgan’s license was just suspended on Wednesday, and that’s not the first time. Records show she has faced a history of disciplinary action.
The latest came over conditions inside South Chicago Chapel. Records said Johanna allowed, “multiple decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies.”
After learning about all this, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said it’s working with investigators to ensure all appropriate regulatory and public safety steps are taken.
“They should have criminal charges pressed against them for how they mishandle these bodies,” Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. “These people should be in jail. That’s where they should be.”
The developments have prompted questions from affected families.
“Why, if they closed down one facility, why did they, why didn’t they close this one down?” Angela Young asked.
Johnson said she encountered additional problems before her mother’s funeral. She said her mother’s body had not been dressed properly, forcing family members to prepare her themselves.
“Basically I set my mom up, and I asked family to help, to assist me. They really didn’t want to touch my momma. I didn’t want to touch her. I wanted to remember my mom warm,” Johnson said.
Johnson also said the funeral home’s memorial program included AI-generated images of her mother.
“These are fake people. Artificial intelligence inside an obituary,” Johnson said.
Asked what should happen to those responsible, Johnson responded: “Jail.”
Illinois State Police say their crime scene services investigators are helping the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identify the 56 bodies found in this building, but for people like Charlene Bays, it’s unclear what they can do to identify those cremated remains.
Alderman Peter Chico said in a statement, “I was horrified when I found out about the bodies at the South Chicago Chapel Funeral Home. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who may have had loved ones there.”
ABC7 reached out to the funeral home and is still waiting for a response.
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