Families seek FBI investigation into Chicago funeral home after 56 bodies found

CHICAGO - Families whose loved ones were among dozens of bodies discovered at a Chicago funeral home are demanding answers and a federal investigation.

What we know:

Family members and activists plan to gather outside the FBI’s Chicago field office Friday to call for an investigation into the owners of South Chicago Chapel, Clark and Johanna Morgan.

A licensing investigation on Aug. 7 uncovered 56 bodies allegedly improperly stored in various states of decomposition at the funeral home.

The group also wants investigators to examine whether communication or enforcement failures involving several government agencies — including the Chicago Police Department, the Illinois Comptroller's Office, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation — allowed the Morgans to allegedly misrun multiple funeral and crematory businesses.

What they're saying:

Some families were notified after the discovery that their loved ones were among the bodies, even though they believed their relatives had already been laid to rest.

"You go through a grieving process all over again," said Clark Jones, whose niece's remains were identified among the bodies.

What's next:

The FBI previously said it could neither confirm nor deny whether an investigation was underway, but said it was communicating with law enforcement, the medical examiner’s office and prosecutors.

A class-action lawsuit has also been filed against the funeral home and its owners.

As of the latest reporting, 22 of the 56 bodies had been identified.