More than 50 decomposing bodies have been found inside a funeral home in Chicago, according to officials.

The disturbing discovery was made at the South Chicago Chapel Thursday after police got a tip about bodies not being properly stored, according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Police found 57 unrefrigerated bodies around the funeral home in various states of decomposition, the report said.

The funeral director, Johanna Morgan, had her license suspended after officials determined the South Chicago Chapel posed a “danger to the public safety, interest and welfare,” CBS News Chicago reported, citing records from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Morgan had been “allowing multiple decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies,” according to the records.

Valkiery Velez, who has lived next to the funeral home with her three-year-old for about a year, told CBS News Chicago, “I could smell it the whole year."

The Independent has attempted to contact the South Chicago Chapel.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a Thursday press release that investigators and forensic pathologists went to the funeral home and located the bodies after being notified by local and state officials.

No one has been criminally charged in connection with the bodies’ discovery as of Friday morning, according to local outlets.

The examiner’s office said it was “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.”

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation confirmed to The Independent that Morgan’s license was quickly suspended upon the discovery of the bodies and that state regulators are working with local agencies to “ensure all appropriate regulatory and public‑safety steps are taken.”

The department also mentioned that Morgan’s husband, Clark Morgan, previously held a funeral director and embalmer intern license that was revoked in 2024.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who is running for Chicago mayor in next year’s election, said her office is familiar with Johanna and Clark Morgan for their “egregious past practices while operating the Heights Crematory” in a Friday statement shared by the Sun Times.

Last year, the Heights Crematory had its license permanently revoked after the Comptroller's Office was notified that bodies were improperly stored at the business in Chicago Heights.

“Many of the bodies were stacked on top of each other, not refrigerated and partially exposed. Cremations were delayed and record keeping was abysmal,” Mendoza said in the statement.

“To hear these same operators are doing the same thing again at South Chicago Chapel Funeral Home is infuriating.”