Latest news with #HeightsCrematory
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Crematory shut down after whistleblowers blow lid on disturbing practices
Illinois officials permanently shut down a Chicago-based crematory on Thursday after whistleblowers flagged the disturbing way the bodies were handled, including human remains that were stuffed in broken coolers. The Heights Crematory saw its licenses revoked following a months-long investigation alleging gross malpractice at the suburban funeral home, where at least 19 bodies were found inside a broken refrigerated trailer in February, according to State Comptroller Susana Mendoza. 'The practical effect of this order is that Heights and its owners will never operate a crematorium in the state of Illinois again,' Mendoza said in a statement. 4 The Heights Crematory was permanently shutdown on Thursday, with its operators losing their license. Google Maps 4 Illinois investigators found more than two dozen bodies had been improperly stored and handled in the crematory. CBS Issues at the crematory became public after whistleblowers spoke to a local CBS News crew earlier this year, accusing the business of improperly handling the bodies they were supposed to be taking care of. Along with the bodies stored in broken refrigerated units, investigators found another group of six to seven corpses that were thrown on top of each other on the main floor of the crematory as they waited to be burned. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office also said it received more than 500 boxes of ashes from Heights Crematory that had never made it to the families of the deceased. During the initial investigation, Mendoza said she was 'appalled, disgusted, and deeply saddened by the disrespect Heights Crematory showed to the remains of the deceased.' 4 Bodies were found stacked up on each other on the main floor of the business. CBS 'When I saw these pictures, I felt that our dog got a more dignified treatment in death than these people did?' Mendoza told reporters back in March. 'These are people. They're people's loved ones, family members. And to see anyone treated in that disrespectful, undignified manner in death was disgusting to me,' she added. The Heights Crematory was temporarily shut down, with its owners expected to attend a hearing on June 24 to learn the fate of their business. 4 Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she was disgusted by what investigators found at the crematory. CBS The hearing, however, has now been canceled following the comptroller's order to keep the crematory shuttered. The State of Illinois has never shut down a crematory in such a manner before, but Mendoza told CBS it needed to happen due to what the investigation turned up. Representatives for the Heights Crematory could not be immediately reached for comment.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Chicago Heights crematory agrees to shut down permanently after accusations of mishandling bodies
More photos, video show how bodies were being handled at Chicago area crematory More photos, video show how bodies were being handled at Chicago area crematory More photos, video show how bodies were being handled at Chicago area crematory Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights has agreed to shut down permanently, the Illinois Comptroller's office announced. Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in a news release that the license for the crematory has been permanently revoked through a consent order. "The practical effect of this order is that Heights and its owners will never operate a crematorium in the state of Illinois again," Mendoza said. In a news release. Business at the crematory was halted after the CBS News Chicago Investigators exposed how bodies were being mishandled there. The State of Illinois had never made a move to shut down a crematory in such a fashion before. But when officials saw the photos of conditions at the crematory, they said they had to take action. "I wouldn't trust these people, literally, with my pet," Mendoza said in March. "Those bodies in the photos or videos that you've shown show people just in plastic bags, maybe in sheets, some bodies on top of other bodies. In the most recent investigation, all of those are unacceptable." Mendoza said she was personally appalled. "When I saw these pictures, I felt that our dog got a more dignified treatment in death than these people did?" Mendoza said. "These are people. They're people's loved ones, family members. And to see anyone treated in that disrespectful, undignified manner in death was disgusting to me." The CBS News Chicago Investigators obtained records showing Heights Crematory had been repeatedly warned by the state for their handling of bodies waiting to be cremated. Those violations came long before the CBS News Chicago Investigators obtained photos from a whistleblower that were taken inside a trailer where bodies were being stored. CBS News Chicago later learned Illinois state regulators have warned Heights repeatedly about violations. In July of last year, the crematory was cited after the state found a "cadaver in a broken refrigerator" and "six to seven bodies waiting to be cremated on main floor," saying, "This is a violation." Most recently, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office received more than 500 boxes of ashes from Heights Crematory that never made it to families. A hearing had been set for June 24 to determine if the license for Heights Crematory would be permanently revoked, but Mendoza's office said this hearing is no longer necessary. Please note: The above video is from a previous, related report.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- 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.'
