Suburban Chicago crematory under investigation for bodies in trailers has been in violation before
A south suburban Chicago cremation facility is under state investigation after it was found to be haphazardly storing human remains in a trailer outside, and it turns out it is not the first time the facility has had violations.
CBS News Chicago obtained records showing Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, Illinois had been repeatedly warned by the state for their handling of bodies waiting to be cremated. Those violations came long before the CBS News Chicago Investigators obtained photos from a source that were taken inside a trailer where bodies were being stored.
The trailer is located on the property belonging to Heights, and the photos show deceased people partially wrapped in sheets or clear plastic bags, with their faces and body parts sticking out.
When CBS News Chicago tried talking to Heights Crematory operator Clark Morgan about photos of bodies being stored in this trailer on his property, he refused to comment. The CBS News Chicago Investigators wanted Morgan to explain the conditions at his operation.
CBS News Chicago has now learned Illinois state regulators have warned Heights repeatedly about violations. In July of last year, the crematory was cited after the state found a "cadaver in a broken refrigerator" and "six to seven bodies waiting to be cremated on main floor," saying, "This is a violation."
Morgan was then warned again in October. State regulators wrote "conditions there were unacceptable." But records show the state was willing to give them "one more chance to improve things before we take legal action against the crematory license."
A document goes on to say the facility and trailers needed to be cleaned, and bodies needed to be put in the appropriate containers.
After that "one more chance to improve," Heights Crematory got hit again. Two months later in December came another citation for a cremation container violation, and the crematory was given 30 more days to fix the problem.
But just two months after that in February, a source provided CBS News Chicago with the photos taken in the trailer.
The Illinois Funeral Directors Association sent CBS News Chicago a statement saying it also got a tip last month about the same trailer. At the time, the organization said it filed a formal complaint with the Illinois Comptroller's office, and informed the state it was deeply shocked and angered by the reported mishandling of these deceased people.
The crematory also agreed to shut down its operations during the current probe by the Illinois Comptroller's office. The latest shut down began on Feb. 19.
Heights has agreed to not accept any more bodies during the investigation. But Heights is being allowed to cremate the remaining bodies it has in its inventory — though only with daily oversight of state regulators.
