By Thomas A. Parmalee
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office was notified by Illinois and Chicago officials of decedents improperly stored at a funeral home in Chicago, it announced in an Aug. 6 news release.
Medical Examiner’s Office investigators and forensic pathologists went to the funeral home, located at 2939 E. 95th St. in Chicago and found more than 50 decedents in various states of decomposition.
Online records indicate that the funeral home is the South Chicago Chapel funeral home (formerly Brown Funeral Home).
According to the funeral home’s published General Price List highlights, it advertises:
- Direct cremation: Starting at $700.
- Direct burial: Starting at $1,800.
- Visitation with cremation: Starting at $2,500.
- Full-service burial: Starting at $3,750
The published prices exclude cemetery, church, cash advance items, and some third-party fees.
“MEO staff is assessing the conditions of the remains, searching for documentation regarding identification of the decedents as well as death certificates. This process could take several days to ensure proper disposition,” the news release stated.
Fox 32 reported that according to records from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Johanna Morgan, a funeral director and embalmer at the facility, had license was temporarily suspended amid the probe. The television station reported that multiple bodies were found in an unrefrigerated area under “deplorable conditions,” including a rodent infestation. Bodies were infested with maggots, the television station reported.
The MEO will work with authorities to identify these decedents as quickly as possible and notify their families.
The Medical Examiner’s Office will share additional information as it becomes available.
Second Recent Incident
This could become the second recent high-profile case involving a funeral home in Chicago.
In February 2025, Illinois regulators closed Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights after a whistleblower’s complaint led investigators to discover roughly 100 bodies being stored in unacceptable conditions.
Authorities reported that many remains were kept in malfunctioning refrigerated trailers, some lacked required documentation, and the facility continued accepting cases despite significant operational deficiencies. The investigation uncovered a history of previous violations and ultimately resulted in the permanent revocation of the crematory’s licenses. The case affected funeral homes across Illinois and Indiana, raised concerns among hundreds of families, and led state lawmakers to strengthen Illinois’ crematory oversight laws.
