Police discovered more than 50 decomposing bodies in an unrefrigerated room at a Chicago funeral home, prompting officials to call the scene “an abomination.”
Investigation at South Chicago Chapel
The South Chicago Chapel Funeral Home was raided on Thursday as part of a license investigation. Investigators and forensic pathologists from the local Medical Examiner’s Office found bodies in “various states of decomposition,” according to a spokesperson.
“MEO staff are assessing the conditions of the remains, searching for documentation regarding identification of the deceased as well as death certificates,” the office said in a statement.
Couple’s past practices
The couple who ran the funeral home, Johanna and Clark Morgan, had “egregious past practices” while operating the Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, according to Susana Mendoza, who oversees funeral home licensing in Illinois. The Heights Crematory was shut down last year after investigators found multiple bodies stacked inside broken refrigerators, the New York Times reported.
“Horrified. Again,” Ms Mendoza said. “The discovery of decomposing remains waiting to be laid to rest this week at a Southside funeral home is heartbreaking and an abomination.”
Licenses revoked
Johanna Morgan’s license as the registered funeral director was revoked after Thursday’s discovery. State regulators wrote that her “continued practice is a danger to the public safety, interest and welfare due to respondent allowing multiple decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions,” including rodent infestation. Clark Morgan’s funeral director and embalmer intern license had already been revoked in 2024 for operating on an expired license and “unprofessional conduct.”
No arrests have been made, and enquiries are ongoing. The incident follows the jailing of Hull funeral director Robert Bush, who received a 20-year sentence last week after police found about 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
