(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says state officials are working with local law enforcement after 56 decomposing bodies were found at a Chicago funeral home.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said it took jurisdiction of the remains after the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation suspended the license of South Chicago Chapel’s owner.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he is listening to IDFPR about the funeral home’s processes.
“We need to know whether this had something to do with monitoring, had to do with licensing, or it just had to do with really bad actors who were hiding what they were doing,” Pritzker said at a bill-signing event in Chicago on Friday.
Illinois DFPR Secretary Mario Treto Jr. said his agency licenses and regulates funeral directors, but it does not regulate funeral homes or crematoriums.
“As evident in this case, once evidence of misconduct by a licensed professional was identified, IDFPR acted swiftly and decisively within our jurisdiction to suspend the funeral director’s license,” Treto said in a statement released on Friday evening.
Treto said the agency suspended South Chicago Chapel owner Johanna Morgan’s funeral director license last week.
Johanna and Clark Morgan also operated a Chicago Heights crematory that was shut down by the Illinois comptroller’s office last year, after bodies were found to be improperly stored and hundreds of cremated remains had not been returned to their families.
Heights Crematory was the target of legislation introduced this year by state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights.
“You may recall last summer a real tragedy at a crematory that was located in Chicago Heights, and it prompted this legislation,” DeLuca said.
Pritzker signed House Bill 4695 on June 26 after both chambers of the state legislature passed it unanimously during the spring.
“One of the most significant aspects of this is that, under current language, you can cremate the human remains at convenience, and this would require within 30 days,” DeLuca said.
The legislation takes effect Jan. 1.
Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in a statement it was “infuriating” to hear that the Chicago Heights operators “did the same thing” in Chicago.
A statement from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s office said the medical examiner’s office is working to reunite family members and loved ones of decedents whose remains were stored at South Chicago Chapel.
