The Illinois comptroller’s office has placed Heights Crematory Inc., a Chicago Heights business, under license suspension and is seeking its revocation after a series of alarming findings. State investigators discovered hundreds of boxes containing unclaimed cremated remains at the facility, along with a refrigerated container holding 19 additional bodies, despite an earlier agreement to halt new intakes during the ongoing state probe, the comptroller’s office disclosed, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report. Besides the initial findings, the state is also attempting to reunite remains with families and address missing documentation for each set of remains.
Comptroller Susana Mendoza expressed her outrage over the situation. "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," Mendoza said, as stated by the Chicago Sun-Times. Following this outcry, Heights Crematory declined to comment when approached by a Sun-Times reporter.
The state's enforcement actions are unprecedented, prompted by a whistleblower's photographs showing bodies improperly stored in trailers on the crematory's property, as well as a history of past violations. Comptroller Mendoza also highlighted that most of the affected families are from African American communities. "It's disgusting to me that this primarily affected African American families," Mendoza told CBS News Chicago. The comptroller's office is now working diligently to ensure that the remaining bodies are handled respectfully, transferring them to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
As part of the rectification process, the comptroller's office is now focused on addressing the paperwork issues and ensuring the proper containment of the remains. They found ashes dating back to 2013 and are taking steps to ensure all remains are accounted for and respected moving forward. For now, Heights Crematory remains shut down, with an opportunity to respond to the complaint within 20 days, as detailed by CBS News Chicago.
