{"id":2158,"date":"2026-08-09T20:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T20:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158"},"modified":"2026-08-09T20:35:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T20:35:13","slug":"more-than-50-bodies-found-decomposing-with-rats-maggots-in-chicago-funeral-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158","title":{"rendered":"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>More than 50 bodies were found decomposing in a Chicago funeral home Thursday night.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2153\">El-Sayed Shrugs Off Hasan Piker\u2019s 9\/11 Comments<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The grim discovery came after neighbors reported a horrible smell coming from the South Chicago Chapel funeral home for months. Officials found 56 bodies that were stored unrefrigerated at or above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to ABC7 Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>The Cook County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office told the Associated Press the agency was notified by state and local officials that the bodies were being stored improperly, prompting investigators and forensic pathologists to head to the scene. The remains were in various states of decomposition.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the 56 bodies, more than 50 containers of cremated remains were also found at the funeral home, officials confirmed Saturday, per ABC7.<\/p>\n<p>State disciplinary records allege Johanna Morgan allowed multiple bodies to be \u201ckept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies,\u201d according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>Now officials are working to identify the remains and notify families.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStaff 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,\u201d the medical examiner\u2019s office said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2151\">AOC Freezes Her Eggs After Telling Others To Question Having Kids<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation told ABC7 the department temporarily suspended the license of funeral director Johanna Morgan on Wednesday \u2014 the day before the bodies were discovered. The agency also revoked the license of her husband, Clark Morgan, in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the state comptroller shut down a Chicago Heights crematory owned by Clark Morgan after more than 100 bodies were improperly stored at that location.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey should have criminal charges pressed against them for how they mishandle these bodies,\u201d Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. \u201cThese people should be in jail. That\u2019s where they should be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At this point no arrests have been announced, but the circumstances are still under investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2149\">Sophie Cunningham Smacks Down Opponent\u2019s \u2018White Privilege\u2019 Comment<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 50 bodies were found decomposing in a Chicago funeral home Thursday night.The grim discovery came after neighbors reported a horrible smell coming from the South Chicago Chapel funeral home for months. Officials found 56 bodies that were stored unrefrigerated at or above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to ABC7 Chicago.The Cook County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office told the Associated Press the agency was notified by state and local officials that the bodies were being stored improperly, prompting investigators and forensic pathologists to head to the scene. The remains were in various states of decomposition.In addition to the 56 bodies, more than 50 containers of cremated remains were also found at the funeral home, officials confirmed Saturday, per ABC7.State disciplinary records allege Johanna Morgan allowed multiple bodies to be \u201ckept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies,\u201d according to the outlet.Now officials are working to identify the remains and notify families.\u201cStaff 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,\u201d the medical examiner\u2019s office said in a statement.The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation told ABC7 the department temporarily suspended the license of funeral director Johanna Morgan on Wednesday \u2014 the day before the bodies were discovered. The agency also revoked the license of her husband, Clark Morgan, in 2024.Last year, the state comptroller shut down a Chicago Heights crematory owned by Clark Morgan after more than 100 bodies were improperly stored at that location.\u201cThey should have criminal charges pressed against them for how they mishandle these bodies,\u201d Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. \u201cThese people should be in jail. That\u2019s where they should be.\u201dAt this point no arrests have been announced, but the circumstances are still under investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home - Blue Route Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home - Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"More than 50 bodies were found decomposing in a Chicago funeral home Thursday night.The grim discovery came after neighbors reported a horrible smell coming from the South Chicago Chapel funeral home for months. Officials found 56 bodies that were stored unrefrigerated at or above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to ABC7 Chicago.The Cook County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office told the Associated Press the agency was notified by state and local officials that the bodies were being stored improperly, prompting investigators and forensic pathologists to head to the scene. The remains were in various states of decomposition.In addition to the 56 bodies, more than 50 containers of cremated remains were also found at the funeral home, officials confirmed Saturday, per ABC7.State disciplinary records allege Johanna Morgan allowed multiple bodies to be \u201ckept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies,\u201d according to the outlet.Now officials are working to identify the remains and notify families.\u201cStaff 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,\u201d the medical examiner\u2019s office said in a statement.The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation told ABC7 the department temporarily suspended the license of funeral director Johanna Morgan on Wednesday \u2014 the day before the bodies were discovered. The agency also revoked the license of her husband, Clark Morgan, in 2024.Last year, the state comptroller shut down a Chicago Heights crematory owned by Clark Morgan after more than 100 bodies were improperly stored at that location.\u201cThey should have criminal charges pressed against them for how they mishandle these bodies,\u201d Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. \u201cThese people should be in jail. That\u2019s where they should be.\u201dAt this point no arrests have been announced, but the circumstances are still under investigation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-09T20:35:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c\"},\"headline\":\"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-09T20:35:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158\"},\"wordCount\":361,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1bf209ddad978ffebdc6b0b471ce49de-4.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158\",\"name\":\"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home - Blue Route Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1bf209ddad978ffebdc6b0b471ce49de-4.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-09T20:35:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1bf209ddad978ffebdc6b0b471ce49de-4.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1bf209ddad978ffebdc6b0b471ce49de-4.avif\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2158#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blue Route Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home - Blue Route Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home - Blue Route Journal","og_description":"More than 50 bodies were found decomposing in a Chicago funeral home Thursday night.The grim discovery came after neighbors reported a horrible smell coming from the South Chicago Chapel funeral home for months. Officials found 56 bodies that were stored unrefrigerated at or above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to ABC7 Chicago.The Cook County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office told the Associated Press the agency was notified by state and local officials that the bodies were being stored improperly, prompting investigators and forensic pathologists to head to the scene. The remains were in various states of decomposition.In addition to the 56 bodies, more than 50 containers of cremated remains were also found at the funeral home, officials confirmed Saturday, per ABC7.State disciplinary records allege Johanna Morgan allowed multiple bodies to be \u201ckept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies,\u201d according to the outlet.Now officials are working to identify the remains and notify families.\u201cStaff 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,\u201d the medical examiner\u2019s office said in a statement.The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation told ABC7 the department temporarily suspended the license of funeral director Johanna Morgan on Wednesday \u2014 the day before the bodies were discovered. The agency also revoked the license of her husband, Clark Morgan, in 2024.Last year, the state comptroller shut down a Chicago Heights crematory owned by Clark Morgan after more than 100 bodies were improperly stored at that location.\u201cThey should have criminal charges pressed against them for how they mishandle these bodies,\u201d Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. \u201cThese people should be in jail. That\u2019s where they should be.\u201dAt this point no arrests have been announced, but the circumstances are still under investigation.","og_url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158","og_site_name":"Blue Route Journal","article_published_time":"2026-08-09T20:35:13+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c"},"headline":"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home","datePublished":"2026-08-09T20:35:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158"},"wordCount":361,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1bf209ddad978ffebdc6b0b471ce49de-4.avif","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158","url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158","name":"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home - Blue Route Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1bf209ddad978ffebdc6b0b471ce49de-4.avif","datePublished":"2026-08-09T20:35:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1bf209ddad978ffebdc6b0b471ce49de-4.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1bf209ddad978ffebdc6b0b471ce49de-4.avif","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2158#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"More Than 50 Bodies Found Decomposing With Rats, Maggots In Chicago Funeral Home"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/","name":"Blue Route Journal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/blueroutejournal.com"],"url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}