Latest news with #HeightsCrematory
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
More than 500 boxes of ashes from Chicago Heights crematory never made it to families
Hundreds of bodies cremated at the Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, Illinois, never made it to their loved ones. The crematory was shut down after the CBS News Chicago Investigators exposed how bodies were being mishandled there. Now, there is an effort to find a final resting place for those whose bodies were cremated. When the State of Illinois shut down the crematory, they found more than 500 boxes lying in filth behind closet doors — each belonging to some family somewhere because they were filled with ashes of their deceased loved ones. Some of those ashes have yet to be identified, but the ones that have been identified are now ready to be picked up at the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Cook County Chief Medical Examiner Ponni Arunkumar has been tasked with identifying boxes filled with bags of ashes, along with bodies which were found at Heights Crematory. The remains were confiscated and sent to the morgue after the state shut the operation down in March for mishandling bodies. Arunkumar said she had never seen anything like it before. CBS News Chicago has been investigating Heights Crematory since February, after obtaining photos of bodies mishandled and left stacked in dirty trailers in ways that violated state law. The photos showed bodies in sheets, and some of them contained bugs. "The mission of our office is to treat people with dignity and respect, and it's disheartening to see the condition of the cremains and the bodies," said Arunkumar. Dr. Arunkumar said her staff found some of the remains were decades old, but never got to their loved ones. Arunkumar also said some of the boxes containing the remains were very dirty. She got emotional talking about the condition of the boxes. "They were covered with mold and bugs, and we actually used specialty services to come in and kind of disinfect the boxes," Arunkumar said. Tabitha Mathis' mother, Patsy Hughes, died 15 months ago. Her ashes were among the boxes stored at the Medical Examiner's office. "It's horrifying to see her like this," said Mathis. "I have never cried so hard in my life." Mathis said Heights' owners ghosted her after she kept calling for her mom's remains, and then when she saw our CBS News Chicago investigation, a grim reality sank in. "And there's all these other people in there in a closet waiting to be claimed?" Mathis said. "It's disgusting. It's sad. I don't know how a human being could treat another human being like this." There are six boxes the county has not been able to identify. There were also 10 bodies that have now been identified. Investigators said Heights Crematory had names misspelled, and some lacked the required paperwork. A hearing is set for June 24 to determine if the license for Heights Crematory will be permanently revoked.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Heights Crematory hit with more than 30 lawsuits alleging mishandling of human remains
In the wake of the Illinois comptroller's office's decision to shut down a Chicago Heights crematory, at least 30 lawsuits have been filed by people who believe their loved ones remains were mishandled. Gabriel Hawkins, Scott Yonover and Karen Enright are representing those whose experiences with Heights Crematory include long periods of alleged improper storage of bodies and believing they received the wrong remains. Also named in many of the lawsuits are Castle Hill Funeral Home in Crown Point and Crown Cremation Services, with locations in Calumet City and Dyer, which worked with Heights. 'When loved ones contract with these kind of companies, they seek closure, and obviously that closure is not provided when their loved ones are violated,' Hawkins said during a news conference Thursday by the Indianapolis-based CohenMalad law firm. Hawkins said while about 30 lawsuits have been filed in Indiana, many more are to come, including in Illinois. Darla Smith, who said her husband, Darryl, died in August 2024, sued Heights Crematory and Crown Cremation Services April 29. Smith, who lives in Munster, said Wednesday she chose Crown Cremation to process her husband's remains after working with them after her brother died in 2017. She said Darryl, at age 60, died unexpectedly, though he had been frequently in and out of the hospital for chronic conditions over the past several years. She said Crown Cremation told her they would need between five and seven days to cremate her husband through Heights and return his remains to her. Smith said after that period passed, she was regularly calling Crown and receiving excuses as to why the remains were not ready. 'I thought it was funny, but I believed what I was being told. I had no reason not to believe that,' she said. It ultimately took 19 days before Smith was able to bring Darryl home. But since hearing about the Heights Crematory shutdown, she worries about how he was treated there and whether she has her husband's remains at all. 'I was immediately infuriated,' Smith said. 'I fear he was mistreated and just thrown in a trailer and left there. And I feel like if I hadn't kept calling, he could have been there several more weeks … It bothers me every day that I don't know whose cremains I have, because I obviously can't trust them anymore.' Smith is asking for a jury trial for her lawsuit, in hopes that Crown Cremations and Heights Crematory will be shut down for good once outrage builds about their handling of remains. But most of all, Smith said she is hoping for answers. The attorneys representing her and other plaintiffs said they are working with the comptroller's office to provide through sorting of documentation and identification tags. 'Obviously what the lawsuit provides is financial remedies, but really what's most important is the closure,' Hawkins said. Messages left Thursday with Heights Crematory and Crown Cremations were not immediately returned. Hawkins and Enright said they hope the lawsuits trigger tighter, better enforced regulations on funeral homes and crematories across Illinois. 'We want to make sure that there won't be any future victims or families that have to go through this,' Enright said. Before the state comptroller's office shut down Heights and filed a complaint to revoke the owner's license in March, officials said they performed surprise inspections in July, October and December of 2024. Each time, they found problems that the owner agreed to correct, the comptroller's office said in a news release. It took complaints of bodies stacking up on the property for state regulators to shut the crematory down and provide on-site support to process remaining bodies. The office's news release disclosed inspectors found an undisclosed refrigerated trailer that contained 19 bodies from Indiana as well as hundreds of boxes of unclaimed remains, for which the office is working to find paperwork. 'I am appalled, disgusted, and deeply saddened by the disrespect Heights Crematory showed to the remains of the deceased, and we are working swiftly to strip the facility of its license,' Comptroller Susan Mendoza said in the release. 'No family should have to wonder what happened to their loved one when they pass or learn a deceased family or friend wasn't treated with the utmost respect and dignity they deserve.' ostevens@
Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Heights Crematory hit with more than 30 lawsuits alleging mishandling of human remains
In the wake of the Illinois comptroller's office's decision to shut down a Chicago Heights crematory, at least 30 lawsuits have been filed by people who believe their loved ones remains were mishandled. Gabriel Hawkins, Scott Yonover and Karen Enright are representing those whose experiences with Heights Crematory include long periods of alleged improper storage of bodies and believing they received the wrong remains. Also named in many of the lawsuits are Castle Hill Funeral Home in Crown Point and Crown Cremation Services, with locations in Calumet City and Dyer, which worked with Heights. 'When loved ones contract with these kind of companies, they seek closure, and obviously that closure is not provided when their loved ones are violated,' Hawkins said during a news conference Thursday by the Indianapolis-based CohenMalad law firm. Hawkins said while about 30 lawsuits have been filed in Indiana, many more are to come, including in Illinois. Darla Smith, who said her husband, Darryl, died in August 2024, sued Heights Crematory and Crown Cremation Services April 29. Smith, who lives in Munster, said Wednesday she chose Crown Cremation to process her husband's remains after working with them after her brother died in 2017. She said Darryl, at age 60, died unexpectedly, though he had been frequently in and out of the hospital for chronic conditions over the past several years. She said Crown Cremation told her they would need between five and seven days to cremate her husband through Heights and return his remains to her. Smith said after that period passed, she was regularly calling Crown and receiving excuses as to why the remains were not ready. 'I thought it was funny, but I believed what I was being told. I had no reason not to believe that,' she said. It ultimately took 19 days before Smith was able to bring Darryl home. But since hearing about the Heights Crematory shutdown, she worries about how he was treated there and whether she has her husband's remains at all. 'I was immediately infuriated,' Smith said. 'I fear he was mistreated and just thrown in a trailer and left there. And I feel like if I hadn't kept calling, he could have been there several more weeks … It bothers me every day that I don't know whose cremains I have, because I obviously can't trust them anymore.' Smith is asking for a jury trial for her lawsuit, in hopes that Crown Cremations and Heights Crematory will be shut down for good once outrage builds about their handling of remains. But most of all, Smith said she is hoping for answers. The attorneys representing her and other plaintiffs said they are working with the comptroller's office to provide through sorting of documentation and identification tags. 'Obviously what the lawsuit provides is financial remedies, but really what's most important is the closure,' Hawkins said. Messages left Thursday with Heights Crematory and Crown Cremations were not immediately returned. Hawkins and Enright said they hope the lawsuits trigger tighter, better enforced regulations on funeral homes and crematories across Illinois. 'We want to make sure that there won't be any future victims or families that have to go through this,' Enright said. Before the state comptroller's office shut down Heights and filed a complaint to revoke the owner's license in March, officials said they performed surprise inspections in July, October and December of 2024. Each time, they found problems that the owner agreed to correct, the comptroller's office said in a news release. It took complaints of bodies stacking up on the property for state regulators to shut the crematory down and provide on-site support to process remaining bodies. The office's news release disclosed inspectors found an undisclosed refrigerated trailer that contained 19 bodies from Indiana as well as hundreds of boxes of unclaimed remains, for which the office is working to find paperwork. 'I am appalled, disgusted, and deeply saddened by the disrespect Heights Crematory showed to the remains of the deceased, and we are working swiftly to strip the facility of its license,' Comptroller Susan Mendoza said in the release. 'No family should have to wonder what happened to their loved one when they pass or learn a deceased family or friend wasn't treated with the utmost respect and dignity they deserve.'
CTV News
22-05-2025
- CTV News
Woman receives wrong ashes from Chicago crematory after waiting over 2 years
A suburban woman was forced to wait over two years to get her mother's remains from a south suburban crematory that has since been shut down by the State of Illinois for allegations of mishandled bodies. All that Wren Williams has left of her mother and father, Paul and Betty Williams of Highland Park are two plastic bags of ashes. Both were supposed to be cremated at Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights. (WBBM via CNN Newsource) Warning: This story contains graphic content. CHICAGO (WBBM) - A suburban woman was forced to wait over two years to get her mother's remains from a south suburban crematory that has since been shut down by the State of Illinois for allegations of mishandled bodies. All that Wren Williams has left of her mother and father, Paul and Betty Williams of Highland Park are two plastic bags of ashes. Both were supposed to be cremated at Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights. 'I sent my mom to Heights because that's where she had my dad cremated in 2011 when he passed away,' she said. She wanted her mother to be in the same place as him. Betty Williams died in 2020, but Wren can't understand why her father's bag of ashes is over 1 pound lighter and smaller than her mother's, especially since he outweighed her by 60 pounds. Wren talked with the CBS News Chicago Investigators about the discrepancy after seeing our series of investigative reports exposing how Heights and its operator Clark Morgan are accused of mishandling bodies. Since February, Morgan has refused to talk to us about images of bodies stacked in plastic and body parts exposed in the dirty trailer on his property. Morgan is also accused of failing to process cremations in a timely manner. Bodies were found waiting to be cremated for months; one man found in the trailer had been dead an entire year. 'I just felt that it was complete neglect,' Williams said. Williams also had to wait for her mother's remains, despite continuously arguing with Morgan and his staff over the phone. 'I would call them and they would say they'd call me back, and they would never call me back,' she said. Ultimately, she had to wait two and a half years before she got her mother's ashes. She had to file an official complaint with the state to get the bag and an urn. She said Morgan never even got in trouble for making her wait so long, and now she wonders if her mom was just tossed in a trailer, too. 'That's all I can see, and I'm trying to, trying to place my mother somewhere in that chaos,' she said. For years, Morgan has gotten away with multiple slaps on the wrist by multiple state agencies for mounting violations, but his crematory just kept running. Williams says that's all indicative of a lack of oversight. 'Somebody has to be held accountable,' she said. It got even worse when a state investigator asked her to dump out and dig through her mother's ashes to look for a crucial piece of evidence: a metal identification tag. Each bag of cremated remains contains a metal tag with a log number on it, which is meant to match the person cremated. Betty Williams' tag did not match. 'Not my mom's log number,' Williams said. 'They couldn't even find her in the log.' And that led Williams to a painful but unavoidable conclusion. 'I don't have my mom, no,' she said. '[The ashes] belong to somebody else, another family.' 'It triggers an immense sense of emotional distress and trauma,' said attorney Jonathan Treshansky. Treshansky is filing a lawsuit against Heights Crematory on behalf of Wren Williams and her family. 'To this day, nobody knows where her mom's body is or where her remains are,' he said. 'Nobody.' Meanwhile, Williams is left feeling helpless. Article by Dave Savini and Michele Youngerman.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- CBS News
Suburban woman receives wrong ashes from Chicago Heights crematory after waiting over 2 years
A suburban woman was forced to wait over two years to get her mother's remains from a south suburban crematory that has since been shut down by the State of Illinois for allegations of mishandled bodies. All that Wren Williams has left of her mother and father, Paul and Betty Williams of Highland Park are two plastic bags of ashes. Both were supposed to be cremated at Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights. "I sent my mom to Heights because that's where she had my dad cremated in 2011 when he passed away," she said. She wanted her mother to be in the same place as him. Betty Williams died in 2020, but Wren can't understand why her father's bag of ashes is over 1 pound lighter and smaller than her mother's, especially since he outweighed her by 60 pounds. Wren talked with the CBS News Chicago Investigators about the discrepancy after seeing our series of investigative reports exposing how Heights and its operator Clark Morgan are accused of mishandling bodies. Since February, Morgan has refused to talk to us about images of bodies stacked in plastic and body parts exposed in the dirty trailer on his property. Morgan is also accused of failing to process cremations in a timely manner. Bodies were found waiting to be cremated for months; one man found in the trailer had been dead an entire year. "I just felt that it was complete neglect," Williams said. Williams also had to wait for her mother's remains, despite continuously arguing with Morgan and his staff over the phone. "I would call them and they would say they'd call me back, and they would never call me back," she said. Ultimately, she had to wait two and a half years before she got her mother's ashes. She had to file an official complaint with the state to get the bag and an urn. She said Morgan never even got in trouble for making her wait so long, and now she wonders if her mom was just tossed in a trailer, too. "That's all I can see, and I'm trying to, trying to place my mother somewhere in that chaos," she said. For years, Morgan has gotten away with multiple slaps on the wrist by multiple state agencies for mounting violations, but his crematory just kept running. Williams says that's all indicative of a lack of oversight. "Somebody has to be held accountable," she said. It got even worse when a state investigator asked her to dump out and dig through her mother's ashes to look for a crucial piece of evidence: a metal identification tag. Each bag of cremated remains contains a metal tag with a log number on it, which is meant to match the person cremated. Betty Williams' tag did not match. "Not my mom's log number," Williams said. "They couldn't even find her in the log." And that led Williams to a painful but unavoidable conclusion. "I don't have my mom, no," she said. "[The ashes] belong to somebody else, another family." "It triggers an immense sense of emotional distress and trauma," said attorney Jonathan Treshansky. Treshansky is filing a lawsuit against Heights Crematory on behalf of Wren Williams and her family. "To this day, nobody knows where her mom's body is or where her remains are," he said. "Nobody." Meanwhile, Williams is left feeling helpless.
