Why haven't owners of South Chicago Chapel funeral home faced charges for mishandling bodies?

Nine of the 56 decomposing bodies found piled inside a South Side funeral home remain unidentified as of Friday, and as grieving families continue to search for answers, another question remains. Why has the family that runs South Chicago Chapel never faced criminal charges, despite a history of mishandling human remains?

Between the time that Clark Morgan was caught improperly handling bodies at the Heights Crematory in March 2025 and 56 decomposing bodies were found piled up in his wife Johanna Morgan's funeral home this month, the Illinois State Comptroller's office tried over and over and over again to get the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to suspend Johanna's funeral director license. 

In May 2025, after shutting down Heights Crematory, the Comptroller's office asked why the Morgans hadn't faced any criminal charges. According to emails we obtained through records requests, Illinois State Police forwarded a long list of possible charges to the Cook County States Attorney's Office:

• 443 potential violations of the Crematory Regulation Act 
• 715 counts involving the Integrity in Death Care Act. 
• And 8 counts of abuse of a corpse. 

But a spokesperson for the Cook County States Attorney's office said, upon receiving the info from state police, they "recommended that ISP continue their investigation and consider the possibility of financial crimes." 

CBS News Chicago legal analyst Irv Miller said an exception for licensed funeral directors might have helped the Morgans skirt criminal charges so far, but financial crimes are still very much in play. 

"When you pay somebody to do something, like to bury somebody, and you don't do it, that's theft by deception, and when you have theft by deception under the law, if you go over a certain monetary amount, and sometimes these funerals and cremations get expensive, it could become a felony," Miller said.

An attorney for the Morgans acknowledged receiving a request for comment from CBS News Chicago, but didn't provide a response. 

For their part, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said they filed formal disciplinary charges against Johanna Morgan last October. But the agency has yet to agree to an interview to help explain why she still had her license nearly a year later before it was suspended earlier this month. 

Full Statement from IDFPR 

IDFPR acted promptly and proactively within its authority upon learning of concerns involving Bohemian Crematorium and the potential connection to South Chicago Chapel (SCC). After receiving a complaint regarding the crematorium, which is not regulated by IDFPR, the Department immediately referred the matter to the Illinois Office of the Comptroller (IOC). When IDFPR subsequently learned that SCC had utilized the crematorium, the Department proactively initiated an onsite review and, shortly thereafter, launched a formal investigation into SCC.

As the investigation progressed and information came to light, IDFPR worked quickly to coordinate with local authorities, including the Cook County Medical Examiner, Illinois State Police, Office of the Cook County Medical Examiner and Chicago Police Department, to ensure the appropriate officials were notified and could respond. IDFPR also took immediate regulatory action against SCC, including the summary suspension of its funeral director's license, effectively ceasing the facility's operations. Additional disciplinary action is pending, and the Department is fully cooperating in ongoing investigations.

In 2025, following the incident at Heights Crematory, IDFPR took proactive steps to review other locations affiliated with the Morgans that fall within the Department's regulatory authority following the IOC investigation. While IDFPR does not regulate crematories, the Department conducted multiple visits to affiliated locations, including South Chicago Chapel, to investigate potential unauthorized funeral directing activities. IDFPR's visits, including its most recent visit to South Chicago Chapel in October 2025, did not identify evidence of mishandling or improper storage of remains. IDFPR subsequently filed formal disciplinary charges against Johanna Morgan in October 2025. At that time, IDFPR did not have sufficient grounds to summarily suspend Johanna Morgan's license (the action that took place in August 2026). If it had found concerning evidence, like the evidence discovered in August 2026, the Department would have taken that action.

Throughout the matter, IDFPR acted within its regulatory authority and took appropriate steps to investigate and address matters within its jurisdiction. Please see the attached fact sheet for a complete timeline.

Regarding the disciplinary process, this begins when DPR becomes aware of a complaint against a licensee. Sources of complaints include members of the public, other licensees, law enforcement agencies, and other governmental agencies. Irregularities also are discovered by the agency during the course of enforcement activities, special enforcement programs, and other routine inspections.

After initial review, complaints are assigned to a lead investigator. The investigator is responsible for determining if DPR has (1) legal jurisdiction and/or (2) adequate evidence to proceed with any potential violation of a licensing law. After developing facts in cases where there appears to be a proper legal jurisdiction and adequate evidence, the investigator refers the case to a prosecuting attorney. If there is insufficient evidence to indicate a violation of the particular licensing statute, the investigative file is closed. The investigator also may discover facts that indicate criminal activity which can lead to referral to a county State's Attorney or the Illinois Attorney General.

Complete investigations where there is sufficient evidence of a violation are forwarded to DPR's prosecuting attorneys staff for review. After review by a prosecuting attorney, it may be determined that further investigative evidence is needed. If the staff attorney concludes that the matter has been sufficiently investigated and there is evidence supporting the complaint, formal charges are filed. 

IDFPR has acted swiftly within its regulatory authority, taking appropriate steps to protect the public and ensure the safe and lawful handling of human remains.

For detailed information, please see the attached fact sheet, which was provided to your organization on August 17.