Over 50 Decaying Remains Discovered at South Chicago Funeral Home

Investigators found more than 50 decomposing bodies at South Chicago Chapel after the funeral director's license was suspended for unsafe storage conditions.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation revoked the license of funeral director Johanna Morgan following evidence that bodies were kept in an unrefrigerated area with rodent and maggot infestations at South Chicago Chapel, located at 95th Street and Exchange Avenue. Chicago police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office entered the premises on Thursday evening and reported finding more than 50 decedents in varying degrees of decomposition.

Investigators are now attempting to match the remains with death certificates and other records, a task expected to take several days. A neighbor who lives behind the chapel described a persistent, nauseating smell emanating from the building. Emmanuel Funeral Home & Cremation Services staff arrived to collect a body, unaware of the ongoing investigation, and performed a wellness check after receiving no response. The business license for the chapel lists Clark Morgan, Johanna's husband, as president, and he previously operated Heights Crematory, which was shut down amid a separate state probe.