“I’ve lived here for about a year, and I could smell it this entire year. It’s like dead rodents, dead animals,” one local resident said of the smell coming from the funeral home

NEED TO KNOW

• More than 50 bodies in various states of decomposition were found at South Chicago Chapel in Chicago during a license investigation
• Neighbors said they had noticed a foul odor around the building for months
• Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office staff is now “assessing the conditions of the remains, searching for documentation regarding identification of the decedents, as well as death certificates”

Officials found more than 50 bodies that were “improperly stored” and “in various states of decomposition” at a funeral home in Chicago.

Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers visited a funeral home located on the 2900 block of E. 95th St. on Thursday, Aug. 6, at approximately 2 p.m. local time in order to assist the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation with a license investigation, a CPD spokesperson told PEOPLE.

Human remains were discovered upon their arrival, and a larger investigation is currently underway, per the police spokesperson.

A total of 56 bodies were ultimately located at the funeral home, which was later identified as South Chicago Chapel, per local news outlet ABC 7.

Investigators from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office also received word that bodies were “improperly stored at a funeral home in Chicago” on Aug. 6, per a news release from the facility.

Upon arrival, investigators “found more than 50” bodies “in various states of decomposition,” and staff is now “assessing the conditions of the remains, searching for documentation regarding identification of the decedents, as well as death certificates,” the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

“This process could take several days to ensure proper disposition,” the office added.

According to ABC 7, records show the funeral home’s director, Johanna Morgan, permitted multiple bodies to be kept in “an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies.”

Neighbors who live near the funeral home said they had noticed a strong and unpleasant odor emanating from the building for some time, the outlet reported.

“Oh man, it’s awful,” Valkiery Velez, who said he lives next door to the business, told ABC 7. “I’ve lived here for about a year, and I could smell it this entire year. It’s like dead rodents, dead animals — you can smell it.”

Latasha Johnson, who told the outlet that her mother’s funeral was taking place at South Chicago Chapel when police arrived, said she had also noticed a foul odor in the building.

However, she said that the funeral director’s husband, Clark Morgan, told her the odor was due to mildew, and she claimed he subsequently sprayed Lysol in the area.

“He got Lysol. You spraying Lysol over death,” Johnson recalled, per ABC 7.

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Morgan’s funeral director’s license was suspended on Wednesday, Aug. 5. Her husband’s, meanwhile, had been revoked in 2024 due to a previous case against him, ABC 7 reported.

No charges have been filed in relation to the alleged incident, according to WTTW.

Representatives for South Chicago Chapel did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, Aug. 9.

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