'People were crying, people were throwing up': Families seek answers in South Chicago Chapel investigation

MORGAN PARK - Families affected by the troubling investigations involving South Chicago Chapel and Bohemian National Cemetery gathered for a community forum on Friday night. 

There, they shared their stories and explored the legal options that may be available to them.

Families looking for answers, accountability

The backstory:

This has been an incredibly emotional process for families who trusted South Chicago Chapel with their loved ones — some of them only to learn last week that bodies were not stored in coolers and were left to decompose.

Connected by their troubling experiences and a growing need for answers, families gathered at Genesis Ministry in Morgan Park.

"I want to hear how other people, how they're handling this, because I can't sleep," said Sheila Clark Jones, who recently laid her niece to rest. 

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has identified 24 of the 56 bodies discovered inside South Chicago Chapel near 95th Street and Exchange Avenue. 

Now, the work continues to reunite and notify all families.

Since the investigation began last Thursday, community members have come forward — describing unusually long delays before cremations were completed, demands for cash payments upfront, and concerns about whether the ashes they received are authentic.

"People were crying, people were throwing up out there, trying to find out if their loved ones are still in there because that body has been disturbed," said Andrew Holmes, community activist. 

At Friday's forum, one woman shared that her niece was laid to rest in mid-July. On Friday, her great nieces were called to the coroner's office to identify their mother. 

"This is crazy. It's unbelievable, but she is one of the bodies that was found at the morgue. My great nieces, which are her children, are going to identify the body so that they can move forward with cremation or however they're going to handle this. It's hard for them because they were under the impression that everything had already been taken care of," Clark Jones said. "I do hope that this never happens to anybody else. It's just hard. You go through a grieving process all over again."

The community forum was organized by community activists Lisette Guillen and Andrew Holmes. Guillen said she would now like to see federal officials step in and lend their support.

"You know, homicides haven't stopped in the city. Natural death causes, accidents where people pass away — those have not stopped. So those bodies continue to come into the medical examiner's office, and they have to continue to work on those in addition to everything that has come in from the funeral homes. So, we are really begging for additional help for them. We are begging for additional help for the Chicago Police Department because they are overwhelmed. Even the day they went in — any first responder who went in that day to remove those bodies — that trauma is going to live in their minds forever," said Lisette Guillen, executive director of Case Files Chicago.

Attorneys who attended the community forum said affected families may have grounds to pursue civil claims.

"There's potential actions for fraud, negligence, desecration of human remains, and things of that nature. So, we would advise anyone who has had any dealings with South Chicago Chapel to reach out to either my firm or another firm," said Shawn Barnett, an attorney with Hale Law. 

Dig deeper:

This comes as the Illinois Office of the Comptroller (IOC) is also investigating the Bohemian National Cemetery Crematorium on the North Side for possible equipment and storage violations. 

The Office of Comptroller Susana Mendoza confirms that the owners of South Chicago Chapel, Johanna and Clark Morgan, dropped off at least 22 bodies at the Bohemian National Cemetery Crematorium on the North Side, despite malfunctioning equipment there. 

According to the Office of Comptroller Susana Mendoza, 10 bodies at Bohemian National Cemetery came from South Chicago Chapel and 12 were contracted out from Planet Green, a storefront owned by the Morgans. 

What's next:

Guillen said this will likely be the first of several community forums aimed at supporting affected families until their cases are resolved.

Anyone who believes their loved one may be among those found at South Chicago Chapel should contact the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office at MEOfamilyservices@cookcountyil.gov or 312-666-0200. 

Families should be prepared to provide:

• Their name, phone number and email address
• Their relationship to the deceased
• The deceased person's name, date of birth and date of death