Investigators are working to identify 56 people and more than 50 containers of cremated remains recovered from South Chicago Chapel.
CHICAGO — Authorities are working to identify the remains of 56 people found improperly stored at a South Side funeral home, while officials have also taken custody of more than 50 containers of cremated remains discovered at the same business.
The investigation centers on South Chicago Chapel, 2939 E. 95th St. in the South Deering neighborhood. Officials discovered the bodies Thursday, Aug. 6, after Chicago police went to the funeral home to assist the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation with a licensing investigation. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later took jurisdiction over 56 sets of remains and began the process of confirming identities, examining records and notifying relatives. Chicago police are investigating, and no arrests had been announced as of Sunday.
The medical examiner’s office said Saturday that it was also helping police store more than 50 containers of cremated remains recovered from the funeral home. Those containers are separate from the 56 bodies removed from the property. Officials have not publicly identified all of the people whose remains were found or said how long each had been at the business. The identification process could take several days because investigators must examine documentation, death certificates and other records before families can be notified.
State regulators temporarily suspended the funeral director and embalmer license of Johanna Morgan before the bodies were discovered. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation alleged that multiple deceased people had been kept in an unrefrigerated area under severely unsanitary conditions that allowed extensive decomposition. The agency said Morgan’s continued practice posed a danger to public safety, interest and welfare. Those findings are regulatory allegations and do not amount to a criminal conviction.
State business records identify Johanna Morgan as the person who incorporated South Chicago Chapel in 2022 and list her husband, Clark Morgan, as the company’s president. Clark Morgan previously held an Illinois funeral director and embalmer intern license, but state regulators revoked it in 2024. An Illinois enforcement report said he had practiced on an expired license and engaged in unprofessional conduct. He was also fined $10,000 as part of that disciplinary action.
The couple had previously operated Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, another death-care business that came under state scrutiny. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said that operation was permanently shut down in 2025 after investigators found improperly stored bodies and hundreds of cremated remains that had not been returned to families. The earlier case also resulted in civil lawsuits involving the Morgans. The new investigation at South Chicago Chapel is separate, and authorities have not announced criminal charges connected to the latest discovery.
Accounts of the initial number of bodies differed slightly as authorities processed the scene. A police report cited by the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ said officers encountered 57 bodies during their walk-through of the funeral home. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed that it had taken jurisdiction over the remains of 56 people. The medical examiner’s figure is the official count being used as investigators continue identifying the deceased.
Residents told local news organizations they had noticed a persistent foul odor near the funeral home for weeks or months before authorities entered the property. Families also began arriving at the business after news of the discovery spread, seeking information about relatives whose remains had been entrusted to South Chicago Chapel. Some said they had already experienced delays or other problems and now wanted confirmation that remains previously returned to them had been correctly identified.
One family had held a funeral at South Chicago Chapel on the same day authorities arrived. Other relatives told local reporters that scheduled services were disrupted or that they had been unable to obtain clear information about their loved ones. Officials have urged patience as forensic specialists compare remains with available paperwork. Authorities have not said publicly whether any of the cremated remains were mislabeled or whether any families previously received remains belonging to someone else.
The discovery has also raised questions about how the funeral home remained in operation after the earlier regulatory problems involving its operators. Mayor Brandon Johnson said families had trusted the business with their loved ones during deeply difficult moments and that the reports from the property were disturbing. Mendoza separately criticized the situation and pointed to the prior shutdown of Heights Crematory, saying people entrusted to funeral providers deserve dignity and proper treatment.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office continues to identify the 56 people removed from South Chicago Chapel and review the additional cremated remains. Chicago police are continuing their investigation, while state regulators are handling licensing matters involving the funeral home. No arrests or criminal charges in connection with the South Chicago Chapel discoveries had been publicly announced as of Sunday, Aug. 9.
Author note: Last updated August 9, 2026.