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Chicago authorities are investigating a South Side funeral home after more than 50 bodies were discovered improperly stored and in various states of decomposition Thursday.
The discovery came months after nearby residents began complaining about a “stench” coming from the funeral home.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said state and local officials alerted it to improperly stored bodies at South Chicago Chapel. Investigators and forensic pathologists who responded found remains in various states of decomposition.
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Workers load bodies into an SUV outside South Chicago Chapel 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 a statement online. “This process could take several days to ensure proper 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, adding the lack of refrigeration had caused bodies to decompose.
No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed after the discovery, but Chicago police said detectives are investigating.
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Chicago police outside a 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.
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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.”
Digital has reached out to South Chicago Chapel for comment.
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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.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
