Chicago – On Aug. 3, investigators from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) and the city’s Department of Buildings entered the South Chicago Chapel funeral home at 2939 E. 95th St. and were met with a strong odor of decomposition, temperatures soaring to 88°F, and disturbing scenes of bodies in advanced decay.
What officials found
The IDFPR complaint reports that 31 bodies were stored in an unrefrigerated area while another 18 were in a cold‑storage section. Maggots were seen inside plastic body bags, and rat feces and live rodents were scattered throughout the storage rooms. One corpse was even located inside a public washroom.
City investigators later documented “dozens of covered human remains on tables” on the first floor, additional bodies in the preparation room, and several more in a garage‑type area. One of the remains appeared to be missing a limb.
Regulatory violations
The city’s Department of Buildings filed a lawsuit charging the Morgans with 23 code violations, including lack of smoke and carbon‑monoxide detectors, exit doors that would not open, mold‑covered walls and ceilings, and construction of the chapel without proper permits. The complaint also notes that the building was vacant in 2022 and had not received a regular annual inspection since before Johanna Morgan incorporated the business in 2022.
State regulators also cited the Morgans for failing to produce chain‑of‑custody records for 30 of the 49 bodies listed in the complaint. The IDFPR spokesperson explained that the complaint was finalized before the medical examiner completed a final count, which later rose to 56 bodies.
Background on the owners
Clark and Johanna Morgan have a history of licensing issues. In 2017, Johanna Morgan admitted to transporting a body across state lines without the proper permits, resulting in a $1,500 fine and a reprimand. Clark Morgan altered an expired funeral‑director intern license and used it for removals from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in 2022‑2023, leading to the revocation of his license.
Midwest Group of Illinois, listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, sold the building to an LLC affiliated with the Morgans in spring 2023. The property has not been fully paid off.
City response
The Department of Buildings emphasized that the areas where bodies were stored fall under IDFPR jurisdiction, not the department’s, explaining why routine inspections missed the conditions. The department also noted that annual public‑assembly inspections have shifted to a priority‑based process due to limited resources.
While funeral homes in Chicago are generally exempt from city business licenses unless they sell merchandise, the Department of Buildings took action based on the severe health and safety hazards uncovered.
What’s next
The discovery has sparked a criminal investigation and heightened scrutiny of Illinois’ funeral‑industry regulations. Families of the deceased are left grappling with the unsettling treatment of their loved ones, and city officials say the case underscores the need for stronger oversight and clearer jurisdictional responsibilities.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
