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By Joshua Rhett Miller
Senior Reporter
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Police in Chicago discovered 57 bodies in various stages of decomposition at a funeral home after nearby residents reported offensive odors, authorities said.
Officers responded Thursday afternoon to the South Chicago Chapel in the 2900 block of East 95th Street to assist Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation officials with a license investigation and made the horrific find. An investigation is ongoing, police told Newsweek early Friday.
"There are no updates at this time," police said in a statement.
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No arrests have been announced as of early Friday. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said state and Chicago authorities notified the agency of decedents being improperly stored at a funeral home in Chicago, prompting a team of investigators, including forensic pathologists, to respond.
"The team has found more than 50 decedents in various states of decomposition at this time," the medical examiner's office told Newsweek in a statement. "MEO staff is assessing the conditions of the remains, searching for documentation regarding identification of the decedents as well as death certificates. This process could take several days to ensure proper disposition."
Authorities are working as "quickly as possible" to identify the decedents and notify their families, according to the medical examiner.
A service was underway Thursday when officers responded to the funeral home after receiving a tip that bodies were not being stored at or below 40 degrees as required by state law, according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Funeral director Clark Morgan then took officers throughout the building, where 57 bodies in various stages of decomposition were found, according to the report.
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Morgan later told officers, on the advice of his attorney, that he wouldn't let them back into the funeral home without a warrant. He then padlocked the door and left the building, according to the report. His license to operate the business had been revoked on Wednesday.
Nearby residents, including some who reported offensive odors emanating from the building, said the funeral home had operated for at least 86 years.
"I was wondering what that smell was," one man told NBC Chicago. "I would smell like rotten sewer, and just a foul smell. It's unbearable."
At least one woman responded to the funeral home late Thursday to inquire whether her mother's remains had been located following her July 18 funeral, the Sun-Times reported.
"I was at peace, it had been a month," she told the newspaper. "Now, I just hope she’s not in there, but something is telling me she is."
The foul smell became noticeable throughout the winter, several residents told the Sun-Times. One pair told the outlet they placed traps outside for thousands of flies near the building, which had been reported to authorities six months ago, according to the report.
"We’re grateful," one resident told the outlet. "I thought it was weird … [but] we had an idea of what was going on."
State records indicate the funeral home is owned by Morgan, who previously ran a Chicago Heights crematory that was shut down last year after more than 100 bodies were improperly stored, WLS-TV reported.
State officials on Thursday suspended the license of funeral home director Johanna Morgan, who is Morgan's wife. Her husband previously held a funeral director and embalmer intern license, but they were revoked in 2024, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation officials told the Sun-Times.
"After learning of the situation at the funeral home, IDFPR alerted local agencies, and IDFPR investigators are working with them to ensure all appropriate regulatory and public‑safety steps are taken," agency officials said in a statement. "IDFPR will continue to support ongoing local enforcement work, and it will take any additional regulatory action necessary to protect Illinois consumers and uphold the integrity of the funeral services profession."
Another nearby tenant said a powerful stench emitted from the funeral home anytime people would enter or exit for a funeral.
"You could smell the rot," they told the Sun-Times.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Sam Wilson.
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