Over two months after Chicago police made the gruesome discovery of dozens decomposing bodies inside the South Chicago Chapel in South Deering, the Cook County medical examiner’s office has identified all of the remains.
In total, the medical examiner’s office identified 55 bodies and a bag of organs that was previously believed to be its own entity until DNA testing traced it to one of the bodies, the medical examiner’s office said. Previous reports noted 56 bodies were found.
The medical examiner’s office used fingerprinting, visual identification, DNA, radiology and dental records to identify the remains.
In August, Illinois authorities shut down South Chicago Chapel in South Deering after receiving a tip that owners Clark and Johanna Morgan were improperly storing bodies.
Inside the funeral home, investigators found dozens of bodies in various stages of decomposition.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation suspended Johanna Morgan’s funeral director and embalmer license Aug. 5. The chapel is owned by her husband, Clark Morgan. The state accused the Evergreen Park couple of incompetent and untrustworthy funeral practices, unprofessional conduct and violating state regulations.
At a hearing last week, Johanna Morgan denied all of the allegations against her, except for acknowledging she was the sole funeral director and embalmer at South Chicago Chapel.
In June 2025 the Morgans faced disturbingly similar allegations to the South Chicago Chapel situation at their now-shuttered crematory in Chicago Heights, where investigators from the Illinois comptroller’s office found 44 bodies piled up, along with hundreds of sets of mishandled cremated remains.
The Morgans agreed to shut down Heights Crematory but admitted no wrongdoing under their 2025 agreement with the comptroller’s office.
Grieving families, meanwhile, have called for criminal charges against the Morgans, even as they await word on their loved ones’ remains.
Marshawna and Franquella Campbell are among those families. Their remains of their mom, Shawnese Shanned, were handled by South Chicago Chapel. The sisters attended an August vigil outside the funeral home along with their mom’s wife, Alesia Williams-Shannon.
“While we have to suffer and they’re just walking around like there’s nothing going on,” said Franquella Campbell. “Just living life and we’re out here suffering. We sad, we depressed … why can’t we get the peace that him and his wife have after they put us all through hell? … Just give us our family back.”