The decomposing remains of 56 people were discovered improperly stored at the South Chicago Chapel funeral home on Thursday, prompting an investigation by local and state authorities. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said investigators and forensic pathologists were sent to the facility after receiving information that bodies were being kept in unsuitable conditions. Officials found the remains in various stages of decomposition, months after residents began complaining about a foul smell coming from the building.

Illinois authorities temporarily suspended the funeral director’s licence of Johanna Morgan, who incorporated South Chicago Chapel Inc. in 2022. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation alleged that multiple bodies had been kept in an unrefrigerated area under “deplorable conditions.” The department said the premises had a rodent infestation and that some remains had developed severe decomposition and maggot infestation. The suspension order concluded that allowing Morgan to continue practising posed a danger to public safety and welfare.

The medical examiner’s office said its staff were assessing the condition of the remains and searching for documents, including death certificates, to establish the identities of those found. Officials warned that the process could take several days because every body must be accurately identified and prepared for proper disposition. Relatives will be notified once the identification process is completed. Chicago police said detectives were investigating the case, but no arrests had been announced as of Friday.

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Several residents and people seeking information about deceased relatives gathered outside the funeral home after news of the discovery emerged. Latasha Johnson, 55, said her mother’s funeral had been held at the chapel on Thursday shortly before authorities arrived. She said officials later informed her that her mother’s remains would need to undergo an autopsy and that she might have to make a formal identification. Community advocate Blaise Von Bruchhaeuser questioned why months of complaints about an offensive odour had not led to an earlier discovery.

State records identify Clark Morgan, Johanna Morgan’s husband, as president of the funeral home. His funeral director’s licence was revoked in 2024 for practising with an expired licence and for unspecified unprofessional conduct. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said the couple had previously operated Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, whose licence was revoked last year after authorities found improperly stored bodies and hundreds of cremated remains that had not been returned to families. Both Morgans are also named as defendants in lawsuits connected with that crematory.

Mendoza described the latest discovery as heartbreaking and said every person whose remains were found deserved to be treated with dignity. The Chicago case follows several other incidents involving alleged mishandling of human remains in the United States. Two men were arrested in Pueblo, Colorado, last month after at least two dozen decomposing bodies and other remains were allegedly found behind a concealed door at a funeral home. Similar discoveries included 18 bodies at a Georgia funeral home in 2024, nearly 200 in Colorado in 2023 and 31 at an Indiana facility.

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