Authorities discovered more than 50 decomposing bodies stored improperly inside the South Chicago Chapel on the city’s Southeast Side, leading to state license suspensions and an intensive multi-agency investigation to identify the remains and notify grieving families.
A police check on a South Side funeral home transformed into a grim recovery operation when officers and investigators uncovered dozens of uncremated remains left in deplorable conditions. The grim discovery at the South Chicago Chapel, located at 2939 E. 95th St., has left families who entrusted their loved ones to the business reeling with shock and uncertainty.
Police Walkthrough Reveals Unrefrigerated Bodies and Infestations
Chicago police officers entered the South Deering funeral home after receiving a tip that bodies inside were not being kept at or below the 40-degree temperature threshold mandated by state regulations. During an initial walkthrough with funeral director Clark Morgan, authorities discovered 57 bodies scattered across various areas of the building, according to a police report obtained by the Suntimes.
The conditions inside the facility quickly drew severe regulatory penalties. State records cited by apnews.com noted that funeral director Johanna Morgan allowed multiple decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area plagued by deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies.
When officers briefly stepped outside during the inspection, Clark Morgan attempted to block their return, telling them on the advice of his lawyer that they needed a warrant. After officers explained that state rules permit inspections during operating hours without a warrant, Morgan padlocked the door and left the scene. The Chicago Fire Department was subsequently called to help regain entry.
State Disciplinary History and Familiar Operators
State business records show that Johanna Morgan incorporated South Chicago Chapel Inc. in 2022. Following the discovery, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation suspended her funeral director license, determining that her continued practice posed a danger to the public safety, interest and welfare.
State records also list Clark Morgan as the funeral home’s president, whose separate funeral director license was revoked by the state in 2024 following a $10,000 fine for practicing on an expired license and unspecified unprofessional conduct, as detailed by abc7chicago.com.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza issued a sharply critical statement linking the current operators to a similar scandal last year. Mendoza noted that the Morgans previously ran Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, which was permanently shut down in 2025 after authorities found bodies stored in trailers, stacked on top of each other, partially exposed, and accompanied by hundreds of unreturned cremated remains.
“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.”
Susana Mendoza, Illinois Comptroller, via Chicago Sun-Times
Distraught Families Search for Answers and True Ashes
As Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office forensic pathologists and investigators work through the weekend to assess the remains, collect death certificates, and establish positive identifications, local families have descended on the Southeast Side location desperate for news. For many, the uncertainty extends even to loved ones they believed had already been cremated months ago.
Patrice Halliburton, whose sister Melody Johnson passed away on May 23, told CBS News Chicago that her family held services in June and collected what they were told were her remains a week later. Now, they question whether the urn in their possession truly holds their relative.
Halliburton added that the family wants time to process the situation without jumping to conclusions. You know, we want to have time to process it. We don’t—we, we don’t know if Melody is in there or not. So right now, we’re more fearful that she is than we are angry. I’d rather save that anger for later when we know for sure what’s going on,
she said, according to CBS News Chicago.
Neighbors living near the 86-year-old establishment reported enduring a persistent, nauseating stench for months. I would smell like rotten sewer, and just a foul smell. It’s unbearable,
one neighbor told CBS News Chicago. Valkiery Velez, who lives directly next door, told ABC7 Chicago, I’ve lived here for about a year and I could smell it this entire year. It’s like dead rodents, dead animals, you can smell it yeah.
Medical Examiner Identification Timeline and Next Steps
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has cautioned that the meticulous identification process will take several days. The MEO will work with authorities to identify these decedents as quickly as possible and notify their families,
officials said in a statement.
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