CHICAGO, IL — In a gruesome discovery that has left a community traumatized and grieving families desperate for answers, authorities have uncovered 56 decomposing bodies and more than 50 boxes of cremated remains at a Far South Side funeral home.
The grisly scene unfolded at the South Chicago Chapel, located at 95th Street and Exchange Avenue. The investigation has triggered an expanding probe into the facility’s owners, who are tied to a nearly identical scandal that rocked the Chicago area just last year.
"Deplorable Conditions"
The raid by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, alongside state and city officials, was prompted by relentless complaints from neighbors about a nauseating stench permeating the block for months.
What investigators found inside was straight out of a nightmare. According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the facility was keeping multiple bodies in an unrefrigerated area. Regulators officially suspended the license of the funeral director, Johanna Morgan, citing "deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies".
The horror was a grim reality for mourning families. Latasha Johnson, whose mother's funeral was held at the chapel just hours before police arrived, reported smelling what she described as "death" masked by Lysol. Johnson was horrifically asked to dress her own mother's body prior to the service, a traumatic experience that preceded the agonizing news that her mother’s remains must now undergo a state-mandated autopsy.
A Repeat Offense: The Morgan Connection
For regulators and local officials, the most shocking aspect of the investigation is the people allegedly responsible. State business records link the South Chicago Chapel to Johanna and Clark Morgan.
This is not the couple’s first offense. Last year, authorities shut down Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights—a facility also operated by the Morgans—after discovering improperly stored bodies and confiscating nearly 500 boxes of cremated remains, some dating back 16 years.
While Clark Morgan had his funeral director’s license revoked and was fined $10,000 in 2024 for practicing with an expired license and "unprofessional conduct," a regulatory loophole allowed the couple to stay in the deathcare business. Because crematoriums and funeral homes are regulated by different state agencies in Illinois, Johanna Morgan was able to continue operating the South Chicago Chapel.
The Fallout Widens
The fallout from the South Chicago Chapel discovery is already impacting other regional facilities. Sources report that the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office has launched an investigation into the Bohemian National Cemetery and Crematorium in connection to the Morgan family, and that facility has also been shut down.
Meanwhile, public officials are expressing utter disgust at the repeat offenses. While some angry residents have demanded jail time for the owners, Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza released a blistering official statement regarding the situation:
"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."
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is now undertaking the painstaking process of identifying the 56 bodies, which is expected to take several days. The office announced it will cover the costs of legitimate cremations or funerals for the affected families.
Chicago Police detectives are conducting an ongoing investigation into the Morgans and the facility. While the community demands justice, grieving families are left waiting to find out if their loved ones will finally be treated with the dignity they were denied.