Coroners try to identify dozens of bodies kept in 'deplorable conditions' at US funeral home
The medical examiner's office in Chicago said the process to identify the remains could take days.
Coroners are attempting to identify dozens of bodies discovered in "deplorable conditions" at a US funeral home.
**Watch:** A neighbor reacts after numerous improperly stored bodies were found at the funeral home.
*This report contains details that some may find upsetting.*
Investigators are working to identify remains and inform families after approximately 60 bodies, improperly stored, were found at a Chicago funeral home. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, leading the investigation, stated the process could take several days as families await news regarding their loved ones' remains, which were found "in various states of decomposition."
The medical examiner's office reported being notified by state and federal authorities who made the discovery at South Chicago Chapel on Thursday.
US funeral home regulations are primarily set by individual states. Following several recent high-profile incidents, there have been increased calls for stricter oversight.
South Chicago Chapel did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the BBC.
Authorities reportedly worked through the night, transferring bodies from the funeral home to begin the identification process.
According to records reviewed by the BBC's media partner CBS News, the funeral home's director, Johanna Morgan, had been "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 Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) informed the BBC in a statement that Morgan's license has been suspended by the state.
Images from the scene on Friday showed Chicago officials entering and exiting South Chicago Chapel, loading body bags into vans.
One woman told CBS News Chicago that her deceased sister was supposed to be cremated at the funeral home, but she is now uncertain if she received her sister's actual remains. "We don't know if Melody is in there or not," Patrice Halliburton stated. "So right now, we're more fearful... than we are angry. I'd rather save that anger for later when we know for sure what's going on."
According to the Illinois Secretary of State's website, the active business license for South Chicago Chapel lists Clark Morgan as president.
Clark Morgan, Johanna Morgan's husband, also had his funeral director's license revoked in 2024, according to the IDFPR. County records indicate that Clark Morgan also owned and operated Heights Crematory in Chicago, but it was shut down in 2025 after investigators found bodies there had been mishandled.
"It is extremely disturbing that the same individuals who appear to be involved with the events at South Side Chapel are the same persons," Michael Sharkey, general counsel at the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, said in a statement.
Sharkey told the BBC that he was the one who initially reported the incident at Heights Crematory last year, which led to the Morgans closing the facility and having their license suspended.
"Why wasn't the comptroller watching these people," Sharkey questioned regarding the latest incident, adding that he generally believes the IDFPR has done a good job.
He explained that while funeral homes are subject to national regulations set by the Federal Trade Commission, those laws primarily pertain to pricing and contracts. Each state has its own set of individual rules and regulations that focus more on day-to-day operations.
In Illinois, this includes what Sharkey described as "quite strict regulations on how decedents are to be handled." For example, state law prohibits funeral homes from stacking bodies, he said. "Every individual should have their own place in which they are stored," he continued.
Another state regulation is called "chain of custody," which requires a written log of every movement a body makes from the time it enters the funeral home's care. The funeral home maintains this log, which the state will occasionally audit.
When asked if Illinois laws mandate routine inspections of funeral homes and chain of custody records, he responded: "There are supposed to be."
Funeral directors are required to be licensed in Illinois. Across the US, local and state authorities issue licenses and conduct inspections, similar to Illinois. Some states do not require licenses at all.
In Colorado, where nearly 200 bodies were found at the Return to Nature funeral home in 2023, the state did not require operators to be licensed. This will now be required starting in January 2027.
In the UK, a funeral director was sentenced to 20 years in prison after police discovered dozens of bodies and half a tonne of ashes inside the funeral home. This incident sparked calls for regulation and caused years of nightmares for loved ones.
Dan Ford, president of the National Funeral Directors Association in the US, told the BBC he was "absolutely heartbroken" over the incident in Chicago. "I feel for everybody that's affected, all the families and loved ones," he said.