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Authorities reported the discovery of more than 50 bodies stored improperly and in a state of decomposition on Thursday at a Chicago funeral home run by a couple who previously operated a crematory that was also shut down for mishandling remains.
Meanwhile, Illinois state officials suspended the license of one of the funeral home's directors, alleging that the bodies were kept in an unrefrigerated area in “deplorable conditions.”
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office indicated that state and local authorities notified them that bodies were being stored improperly at South Chicago Chapel, and investigators and forensic pathologists were dispatched. The remains were in various states of decomposition, authorities noted.
“Staff are evaluating the condition of the remains and seeking documentation regarding the identification of the deceased, as well as death certificates. This process could take several days to ensure proper disposition,” the medical examiner's office stated in a release.
Police reported on Friday that their preliminary statement on the case incorrectly indicated that fire department officials had declared the scene a hazardous materials incident.
No arrests have been announced, but city police indicated that several detectives are investigating the case.
Neighbors told local media that the area around the funeral home had a horrible smell.
Messages were left for the funeral home by phone and through their website on Friday.
State business records show that funeral director Johanna Morgan incorporated South Chicago Chapel Inc. in 2022 and that her funeral director license was temporarily suspended on Wednesday.
The state Department of Financial and Professional Regulation noted that the license suspension was due to “a determination that the respondent’s continued practice poses a danger to the public health, safety, and welfare, in that the respondent allowed multiple deceased individuals to be kept in an unrefrigerated area in deplorable conditions, including a rodent infestation, resulting in the decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies.”
¿Qué se sabe de la funeraria South Chicago Chapel?
State business records also list Clark X. Morgan as the president of the funeral home. The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation indicated that it revoked the funeral director license of one Clark X. Morgan and fined him $10,000 in 2024 for practicing with an expired license and for “unprofessional conduct,” which it did not specify.
State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said Friday that Johanna and Clark Morgan ran a crematory in Chicago Heights, south of Chicago, which had its license revoked last year after authorities discovered improperly stored bodies and hundreds of cremated remains that had never been returned to their families.
Mendoza indicated that many of the bodies at the crematory were stacked on top of each other and were not refrigerated.
“Horrified. Again,” Mendoza said in a statement. “The discovery of decomposing remains awaiting burial this week at a South Side funeral home is heartbreaking and an abomination. These are people—someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, child, or friend—and they deserve better.”
Johanna and Clark Morgan are listed in Cook County court records as defendants in relation to legal proceedings linked to Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, south of Chicago.
Public records show that Johanna and Clark X. Morgan live at the same address in the Chicago suburb of Evergreen Park, and an obituary for Johanna Morgan's mother mentions her husband as Clark. On Friday, phone messages were left at numbers listed in public records for Johanna and Clark Morgan, as well as to an attorney listed in the records as their registered agent.
The South Chicago Chapel website states that the funeral home is “dedicated to providing compassionate care and personalized services to support families during life's most difficult moments.”
The case is the latest in a series of incidents involving the mishandling of remains over the past three years.
Police arrested two men last month in Pueblo, Colorado, for allegedly mishandling at least two dozen decomposing bodies and other remains found behind a hidden door at a funeral home.
That occurred after the discovery of 18 bodies in various stages of decomposition at a Georgia funeral home in 2024. In 2023, nearly 200 decomposing bodies were found in a Colorado building, and another 31 decomposing bodies were discovered at an Indiana funeral home.
[Publicidad]