HORROR IN CHICAGO: More than 50 decomposing bodies found, police launch identification process!

An investigation is underway after dozens of bodies in advanced stages of decomposition were discovered Thursday at a funeral home on Chicago’s Southeast Side, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Sources said the decomposing bodies were found inside storage closets and an attached garage at South Chicago Chapel, located in the 2900 block of East 95th Street.

One man, who said he was visiting family in the neighborhood, said he had noticed a foul odor in the area before.

“Every time I drive through here, I smell a terrible odor in the air, and I kept wondering where it was coming from. I always thought it might be the sewer,” Frank Dauer said.

🇺🇸 57 decomposing bodies were found inside a Chicago funeral home.

Authorities recovered the remains Thursday at South Chicago Chapel on the Southeast Side.

The bodies were stored in the basement, closets, and an attached garage, unrefrigerated, with rodents and maggots… pic.twitter.com/9yObMYhUef
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 7, 2026

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) later announced that Chicago and state officials had notified the agency about bodies that had been improperly stored at the South Chicago Chapel funeral home.

Investigators and forensic pathologists from the MEO responded to the funeral home and found more than 50 bodies in various stages of decomposition, officials said.

The MEO stated that its staff is currently assessing the condition of the remains and searching for identification documents, as well as death certificates, a process officials say could take several days.

The agency added that it will work with the appropriate authorities to identify the bodies as quickly as possible and notify their families.