18 decomposed bodies discovered in funeral home, owner arrested

All eyes are on South Georgia funeral home after the owner was arrested and charged with neglect of human corpses. Authorities say they found more than a dozen decomposing bodies on the funeral home grounds while serving the business a routine eviction notice.

The owner of Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services in Douglas, Georgia has been charged with 17 counts of abuse of a corpse, according to police. Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Arrest warrants for Chris Lee Johnson say he failed to properly dispose of the bodies, resulting in “the severe disfigurement” of the deceased.

Of the eighteen human remains discovered, one belongs to a child. Authorities continue to work with the families of the deceased to identify and learn more about the victims. The bodies had been decomposing for months before they were discovered, officials say. Police also discovered several dead animals on the property, including cats and dogs.

Coffee County Coroner Brandon Musgrove reported WALB TV“My priority is to properly identify the bodies and report them to the family. Please bear with us. We work as hard as we can.”

During his appearance on Monday (October 28), a judge denied Johnson’s bail due to the seriousness of the charges. As of Nov. 1, Johnson does not have an attorney listed on his behalf, but he told the court he plans to seek his own counsel, according to Local 3 News. Court records also show that Johnson is expected to face additional charges as the investigation into his company continues.

Interestingly, Johnson ran for public office in the small town of Douglas earlier this year. He was defeated in the May primary for Coffee County coroner, according to the newspaper Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Officials say Johnson was in the process of relocating his business when the bodies were discovered. Between moves, Johnson’s company operated out of the original location.

Even worse, in light of the scandal, former and current family clients of Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services are beginning to question the condition of their own deceased loved ones.

“We still have not received a death certificate that I paid in full to Chris Johnson,” Sherri Thomas told WALB-TV. “I probably called more than 50-60 times, and he didn’t call back once. And I wonder if with all these bodies, even my mother’s body is in this urn.”