All eyes are on a south Georgia funeral home after its owner was arrested and accused of neglecting human corpses. Authorities say they found over 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, Ga. has been charged with 17 counts of abuse of a dead body, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Arrest warrants for Chris Lee Johnson say he failed to store the bodies properly, which resulted in “the serious disfigurement” of the deceased.
Of the 18 discovered human remains, one is of a child. Authorities continue to work with the families of the deceased to identity and learn more about the victims. The bodies were decomposing for months before they were discovered, officials say. Also on the premises, police discovered several dead animals, including cats and dogs.
Coffee County Coroner Brandon Musgrove told WALB-TV, “My priority is to get the bodies properly identified and make the notifications to the family. Please bear with us. We’re working as diligently as we can.”
During his Monday (Oct. 28) court appearance, a judge denied Johnson bond due to the severity of the charges. As of Nov. 1, Johnson has no lawyer listed on his behalf, but he told the court he plans to seek his own counsel, according to Local 3 News. Court records also say Johnson is expected to face additional charges as the investigation into his business continues.
Interestingly enough, earlier this year, Johnson ran for public office in the small city of Douglas. He was defeated in the primary for Coffee County coroner in May, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Officials say Johnson was in the process of relocating his business when the bodies were discovered. While in between moves, Johnson’s business was operating out of its original location.
To matters even worse, in light of the scandal, previous and current family clients of Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services are starting to question the state of their own deceased loved ones.
“We still have not yet received a death certificate that I paid for, in full, to Chris Johnson,” Sherri Thomas told WALB-TV. “I have called probably over 50-60 times, and he has not once returned my phone call. And I just wonder with all these bodies, is that even my mama’s body in this urn.”