More than 50 decomposing bodies were found in various states of decomposition at a Far South Side Chicago funeral home, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Thursday.
The facility, South Chicago Chapel, sits at the corner of 95th Street and Exchange Avenue. Chicago police were seen entering and exiting the building Thursday evening. State regulators suspended the funeral director's license after finding that bodies were being stored in conditions that included rodent infestations and maggot infestations on the remains.
According to Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation records, the state suspended the license of funeral director Johanna Morgan. Regulators found that the facility's continued practice was a danger to the public safety, interest, and welfare. Records show Morgan had been allowing multiple bodies to be kept in an unrefrigerated area. Morgan was listed as funeral director at South Chicago Chapel as late as May 2025, though it was unclear from current records whether she still held that role as of Thursday.
Investigators and forensic pathologists from the medical examiner's office went to the facility and found more than 50 decedents in various states of decomposition. Investigators were still assessing the conditions of the bodies and searching for documents to identify them, including death certificates. That process, the office said, could take several days.
Neighbors said they had noticed a persistent and disturbing odor for months. One neighbor, who asked to be identified only as V, said she had lived directly behind South Chicago Chapel for about a year.
"It just, like, stinks all the time. Like, it's so bad," she said. "I don't know, like a dead mouse. Like, it stinks."
Another neighbor, Valkiery Velez, told CBS News Chicago that the smell had been constant for the entire time she had lived next door. "I have a 3-year-old, I live right next door," she said. "I lived there for like a year, so like I could smell it the whole year."
On Thursday evening, staff from Emmanuel Funeral Home and Cremation Services arrived at South Chicago Chapel to retrieve a body, not yet aware of the investigation. They said they had spoken with South Chicago Chapel earlier in the day but had not heard back from them and decided to check on the location in person.
"We stopped by to get someone. We don't know what's going on at the moment," said Pastor Christopher Jennings. "We talked to them the first time, they picked up, they talked to us, they said they'd give us a call back. After that, there was no call. We kept calling, so we decided to do a wellness check to see what was going on and this is what we come to."
The medical examiner's office said investigators were continuing to assess the scene. The identification process for the bodies was expected to take several more days.
