Illinois' fraught funeral home oversight

First publishedAug 11, 13:00 UTC

Last updatedAug 12, 01:50 UTC · 12m ago

113:00–13:25 UTC1 outletChicago Sun-Times

13:0016:1219:2522:3701:50

Chicago Sun-Times6Illinois' fraught funeral home oversightAug 11, 13:00 UTCOpen ↗

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<h3>Good morning, Chicago. ✶</h3><p>🔎 <b>Below</b>: The grim discovery of the remains of more than 100 people at South Chicago Chapel has lawmakers calling for changes to how Illinois regulates funeral homes, crematories and embalmers across the state.</p><p>🗞️ <b>Plus</b>: Residents file police reports for feds' alleged Midway Blitz crimes, a North Side "cat tour" and more.</p><p>📝&nbsp;<b>Keeping score</b>:&nbsp;<a class="Link" href="https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-ydlrsud-l-y/" target="_blank" >The Sky fell to the Storm</a>, 97-88.</p><p>📧 <b>Subscribe</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://newsletter-hub.suntimes.com/" target="_blank" ><i>Get our morning newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.</i></a></p><p>⏱️:&nbsp;<i>An 8-minute read</i></p><hr><p></p><h4>TODAY’S WEATHER 🌧️</h4><p>Mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms, wind gusts as high as 25 mph and a high near 82 degrees.</p><hr><p></p><h4>CHICAGO JIGSAW PUZZLE 🧩</h4><div class="Enhancement" data-align-floatLeft> <div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop=""> <figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-380000" name="image-380000"></a> <picture data-crop="medium"> <source type="image/webp" width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1d614da/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x269+0+24/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F54%2F38%2Fd7dc25844dc78d908f126c9e619c%2Fst15003202-0004-990000079e028a3c.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b99036b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x269+0+24/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F54%2F38%2Fd7dc25844dc78d908f126c9e619c%2Fst15003202-0004-990000079e028a3c.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <source width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5f86c57/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x269+0+24/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F54%2F38%2Fd7dc25844dc78d908f126c9e619c%2Fst15003202-0004-990000079e028a3c.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <img class="Image" alt="st15003202_0004-990000079e028a3c.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5f86c57/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x269+0+24/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F54%2F38%2Fd7dc25844dc78d908f126c9e619c%2Fst15003202-0004-990000079e028a3c.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/315c938/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x269+0+24/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F54%2F38%2Fd7dc25844dc78d908f126c9e619c%2Fst15003202-0004-990000079e028a3c.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275" data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5f86c57/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x269+0+24/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F54%2F38%2Fd7dc25844dc78d908f126c9e619c%2Fst15003202-0004-990000079e028a3c.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" > </picture> </figure> </div> </div><p>Piece together history&nbsp;to reveal more about today’s photo from the Sun-Times archives.&nbsp;</p><p><a class="Link" href="https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-ydlrsud-l-t/" target="_blank" ><b>PLAY NOW</b></a></p><hr><p></p><h4>TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎</h4><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center> <div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop=""> <figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-e80000" name="image-e80000"></a> <picture data-crop="medium"> <source type="image/webp" width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/96bae23/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6337x3556+0+205/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffa%2F41%2F13a68dae469b9fedbf098b6bfd64%2Ffuneral-home-decomposing-bodies.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/742fa1a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6337x3556+0+205/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffa%2F41%2F13a68dae469b9fedbf098b6bfd64%2Ffuneral-home-decomposing-bodies.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <source width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3ae3c75/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6337x3556+0+205/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffa%2F41%2F13a68dae469b9fedbf098b6bfd64%2Ffuneral-home-decomposing-bodies.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <img class="Image" alt="Police officers block off part of the street near South Chicago Chapel on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, after authorities found more than 50 bodies improperly stored at the funeral home during an investigation the previous night in Chicago. " srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3ae3c75/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6337x3556+0+205/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffa%2F41%2F13a68dae469b9fedbf098b6bfd64%2Ffuneral-home-decomposing-bodies.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/31e5771/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6337x3556+0+205/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffa%2F41%2F13a68dae469b9fedbf098b6bfd64%2Ffuneral-home-decomposing-bodies.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275" data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3ae3c75/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6337x3556+0+205/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffa%2F41%2F13a68dae469b9fedbf098b6bfd64%2Ffuneral-home-decomposing-bodies.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" > </picture> <div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Police officers block off part of the street near South Chicago Chapel on Friday.</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Pat Nabong/Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p></p><h3><a class="Link" href="https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-ydlrsud-l-d/" target="_blank" >Horrific discovery raises questions about Illinois funeral home oversight</a></h3><h3></h3><h5>Reporting by <a class="Link" href="https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-ydlrsud-l-h/" target="_blank" >Mitchell Armentrout</a>, <a class="Link" href="https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-ydlrsud-l-k/" target="_blank" >Mawa Iqbal</a>, <a class="Link" href="https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-ydlrsud-l-u/" target="_blank" >Fran Spielman</a> and <a class="Link" href="https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-ydlrsud-l-o/" target="_blank" >Michael Puente</a></h5><p><b>Calls for reform</b>:&nbsp;A macabre discovery in a South Deering funeral home is once again revealing gaps in government oversight of facilities like South Chicago Chapel, where authorities found 56 decomposing bodies and 56 boxes of cremated remains, according to lawmakers now calling for state-level reform.</p><p><b>Key context</b>:&nbsp;Clark and Johanna Morgan, operators of South Chicago Chapel, are accused of mishandling the remains of more than 100 people.

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  Chicago Sun-TimesAug 11, 13:00

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