57 Bodies Found Decomposing at Chicago Funeral Home
More than 50 bodies were discovered improperly stored and decomposing at a Chicago funeral home on Thursday, triggering a major investigation and exposing a disturbing pattern of alleged misconduct by the facility’s operators. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office dispatched investigators and forensic pathologists to South Chicago Chapel, located at 2939 E. 95th St. in the South Deering neighborhood, after state and local officials reported that bodies were being stored improperly at the facility, according to AP News.
The remains were found in various states of decomposition in an unrefrigerated area described as having “deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies.” The Chicago Sun-Times reported that 57 bodies were found, citing a police report.
A History of Regulatory Failures
The discovery at South Chicago Chapel is not the first time the operators have faced scrutiny over the handling of human remains. State business records show that funeral director Johanna Morgan incorporated South Chicago Chapel Inc. in 2022, with her husband, Clark X. Morgan, listed as the funeral home’s president.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) suspended Johanna Morgan’s funeral director license on Wednesday, one day before the discovery, citing “a finding that Respondent’s 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.” Clark Morgan had his funeral director license revoked in 2024 and was fined $10,000 for practicing with an expired license and “unprofessional conduct,” according to NBC Chicago.
The couple previously operated Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, south of Chicago, which had its license revoked in 2025 after authorities discovered improperly stored bodies and hundreds of cremated remains that had never been returned to their families. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said many of the bodies at the crematory were “stacked on top of each other, not refrigerated and partially exposed,” with delayed cremations and “abysmal” record keeping.
“To hear these same operators are doing the same thing again at South Chicago Chapel Funeral Home is infuriating,” Mendoza said in a statement. The Chicago Sun-Times previously reported on the Heights Crematory investigation, which began in February 2025 after the Illinois Funeral Directors Association received a tip with photos showing bodies in a trailer on the property.
The Discovery
Police responded to the funeral home after receiving a tip that bodies were not being stored at or below 40 degrees, as required by state regulations. Officers were met by funeral director Clark Morgan, who accompanied them on a walk-through of the building. During the walk-through, they found 57 bodies in various areas of the funeral home, not refrigerated and in various states of decomposition, according to a police report obtained by the Sun-Times.
When officers tried to re-enter the building, Morgan refused entry without a warrant, then padlocked the door and left. Officers called the Chicago Fire Department to help gain entry, ABC7 Chicago reported. The funeral home’s business license was revoked on Wednesday, according to the police report.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said its staff is “assessing the conditions of the remains, searching for documentation regarding identification of the decedents as well as death certificates. This process could take several days to ensure proper disposition.”
Community Impact and Grief
The discovery has devastated families who entrusted the funeral home with their loved ones. One woman arrived at the scene Thursday evening seeking information about her mother’s remains, telling the Sun-Times that the funeral had been on July 18 and that the funeral home had dodged her calls. “I was at peace, it had been a month,” she said. “Now, I just hope she’s not in there, but something is telling me she is.”
Tarshia Logan told ABC7 that her late husband’s viewing was supposed to be Thursday afternoon at South Chicago Chapel, but when the family arrived, there was no body and only one person on site. She said her husband’s funeral was scheduled for Friday and she now does not know what to do or who to reach out to.
Neighbors in the South Deering community reported a foul smell emanating from the funeral home for months. One neighbor told the Sun-Times, “We thought at first it was coming from a factory nearby, but it was like a rotting smell. It smelled like an animal that was dead. … It wasn’t once or twice, it was every weekend. It was a fight to go outside and get in the car.”
Another neighbor said they put up traps for the thousands of flies that emanated from the building and reported the situation to law enforcement approximately six months ago. The South Chicago Chapel has operated as a funeral home at its location for at least 86 years, according to NBC Chicago.
Official Response
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza expressed outrage at the discovery, saying, “Horrified. Again. The discovery of decomposing remains waiting to be laid to rest 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.” She added, “I am hopeful that the Morgans are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued a statement calling the reports “deeply disturbing,” saying, “Families entrusted this funeral home with the care of their loved ones during one of the most difficult moments of their lives. That trust appears to have been profoundly violated. Every person deserves to be treated with dignity in life and in death, and every family deserves compassion, transparency, and respect as they grieve.”
No arrests have been announced, but city police said detectives are investigating. The NBC Chicago reported that the IDFPR handles the physical operations and professional credentials of funeral homes, licensing and disciplining funeral directors and embalmers, and investigating operational issues like professional incompetence, vital records noncompliance, or the improper handling of human remains.
A Broader Pattern
The Chicago case is part of a disturbing pattern of mishandled remains at funeral homes across the United States in recent years. Last month, police arrested two men in Pueblo, Colorado, for allegedly mishandling at least two dozen decomposing bodies and other remains found behind a hidden door in a funeral home. That followed the discovery of 18 bodies in various stages of decomposition at a funeral home in Georgia in 2024, nearly 200 decomposing bodies found in a building in Colorado in 2023, and another 31 decomposing bodies discovered at an Indiana funeral home.
The Heights Crematory case led to a new Illinois law giving the Illinois Office of the Comptroller more investigatory authority over crematories. The law was signed into effect in summer 2026 and will take effect January 1, 2027.
What’s Next
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said the process of identifying remains and searching for documentation could take several days. The office said it “will work with authorities to identify these decedents as quickly as possible and notify their families.”
As the investigation continues, families are left waiting for answers about their loved ones, and questions remain about how a funeral home with such a troubled history was allowed to continue operating. The case has renewed calls for stronger oversight of the funeral industry and raised urgent questions about what more can be done to prevent similar tragedies.