The discovery of over 50 decomposing bodies in a South Deering funeral home was not the first time its business’ operators were found to have mishandled remains.
Last year, state officials shut down a Chicago Heights crematory, also operated by Clark and Johanna Morgan, amid allegations they had mishandled over 100 bodies at the facility.
That business was permanently shut down by state officials and nearly two dozen lawsuits were filed against the Morgans in the wake of the investigation.
But they continued to operate South Chicago Chapel at 2939 E. 95th St., and now dozens more families find themselves in the same position demanding answers from the Morgans and seeking accountability for their deceased loved ones.
The Morgans’ attorney declined to comment Friday and the pair did not respond to reporters outside their home.
Bad business
There was a funeral in progress Thursday evening when Chicago police officers arrived to search the South Chicago Chapel, acting on a tip that bodies were not being stored at the proper temperature.
Clark Morgan led them on a walk through of the funeral home, where officers discovered 57 bodies — unrefrigerated, and in various states of decomposition, according to a police report. On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which regulates funeral business operations in the state, revoked Johanna Morgan’s funeral director and embalmer’s license.
The agency found the practice was “a danger to the public safety, interest and welfare,” and allege Johanna Morgan let “multiple decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies.”
It’s unclear why police didn’t visit the funeral home until the next day.
This was also not the first time Johanna Morgan has been fined and reprimanded by the IDFPR, according to records.
In 2024, her funeral director and embalmer license was reprimanded and she was fined $5,000 for failing to complete three records in 2020.
In 2017 her license was suspended for failure to file or pay state income taxes. She was also reprimanded and fined for failing to file a death certificate “in a timely manner.”
In April 2024, Clark Morgan was fined $10,000 and his funeral director and embalmer intern license was revoked due to “unprofessional conduct” and practicing on an expired license, according to IDFPR records. His license was suspended in 2018 due to failure to file or pay state income taxes.
The Illinois Funeral Directors Association “was horrified to learn of the events at South Side Chapel…we are angered by the indignities suffered by the decedents,” IFDA general counsel Michael Sharkey said Friday.
In early 2025 IFDA reported the people allegedly “involved in mishandling/mistreating decedents” at Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights to the Illinois Comptroller’s Office, which oversees crematories in the state.
“It is extremely disturbing that the same individuals who appear to be involved with the events at South Side Chapel are the same persons that the Comptroller’s Office was aware of from the tragedy at Heights Crematory,” IFDA’s news release said.
“We encourage those who are seeking funeral services to look for a provider that is a member of the IFDA so that the family knows that their loved one will be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
South Chicago Chapel and Heights Crematory were never members of IFDA, Sharkey said.
Tragedy in Chicago Heights
The Morgans are still facing nearly two dozen of lawsuits stemming from the mishandling of remains at Chicago Heights Crematory, 230 E. 11th St.
One of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs said they brought their mother’s remains to the crematory in 2020, then heard nothing from the operators for years.
It was only after they filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and Office of the Illinois Attorney General in 2022, that the crematory provided them an urn, according to court records.
The Illinois Comptroller’s Office, which oversees crematories, opened an investigation into the business in Feb. 2025 after the IFDA received a photo of bodies being stored in trailers outside of the building.
In June 2025, that same plaintiff received a call from the controller’s office informing them the remains in the urn may not be their mother’s. A check of the cremation ID number confirmed they were not.
The crematory permanently ceased operation that same month. The Cook County medical examiner’s office launched a database to help people, who brought remains to Chicago Heights Crematory, recover family members.
The IDFPR regulates funeral director and embalmers. If a funeral home sells products, such as caskets or flowers, they must obtain a business license issued by the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
South Chicago Chapel does not have a Chicago business license, a BACP spokesperson said in an email.
Contributing: Elijah James