The proprietor of a funeral home in southern Georgia has been arrested and faces charges for mistreating over a dozen corpses.
Chris Johnson, 39, was arrested on Monday, just a few days after Coffee County deputies discovered 18 bodies in varying stages of decay while serving an eviction notice at Johnson Funeral Home in Douglas, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The investigation, which started over the weekend, involved the bureau collaborating with local authorities. Johnson is facing 17 counts of corpse abuse, with more charges likely as the investigation unfolds.
Currently, Johnson remains in the local county jail without bond, as reported by Douglas Now.
The funeral home did not respond to requests for comments, and YSL News was unable to confirm if Johnson has legal representation.
Bodies at the funeral home were reportedly kept for months
According to Douglas Now, Johnson was in the midst of moving his business to a new downtown location when the bodies were found. Meanwhile, the funeral home had continued to operate from its original site.
As they recovered the decomposed bodies, officers also discovered a dead dog and a dead cat, indicating that the remains had been there for an extended period, as reported by Douglas Now. One of the deceased individuals was reported to be a child.
Local officials are working to identify the deceased individuals and inform their families, as noted by Douglas Now.
“My priority is to ensure the bodies are properly identified and to notify the families. We appreciate your patience as we work diligently,” stated Coffee County Coroner Brandon Musgrove in a message to WALB-TV.
The news of the charges against Johnson caught many off guard, while others voiced their displeasure over the lack of communication and care exhibited by the funeral home owner during the process of laying loved ones to rest.
“I still haven’t received a death certificate that I fully paid for to Chris Johnson,” Sherri Thomas told WALB-TV. “I’ve called probably 50-60 times, and not once has he returned my call. I just wonder, with all these corpses, if that’s even my mother’s body in this urn.”
People with any information are urged to contact the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office at (912) 384-4227 or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at (912) 389-4103. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online, through the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app, or by phone at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477).
In Colorado, funeral home faces accountability for negligence
In a separate incident in Colorado in August, funeral home operators Jon and Carie Hallford were ordered to pay nearly $1 billion to 125 individuals who sued them for failing to cremate or bury at least 190 bodies they were paid to manage since 2019.
The disturbing revelations led to a class-action lawsuit against the couple, who ran Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose.
Last week, the Hallfords pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a deal with prosecutors and face up to 20 years in prison during sentencing.
Relatives of the deceased expressed horror over the Hallfords’ negligence, as some received what they believed to be cremated remains of their loved ones. The payout aims to ensure that if the Hallfords obtain jobs in the future, families could petition for a portion of their earnings, according to Andrew Swan, an attorney for the victims.
“The likelihood of the Hallfords complying with the judgment is low. The goal wasn’t money but to hold them accountable for their actions,” Swan stated.
