What started out as an eviction at Johnson Funeral and Cremation Services in Douglas on Saturday turned into something much more macabre when 18 bodies in various states of decomposition were found inside the funeral home. At least one of the bodies was that of a child. There were also two dead pets – a dog and a cat — in the funeral home.
The funeral home, owned by Chris Johnson, who unsuccessfully ran for coroner in the May election, has been the subject of an investigation for quite some time. However, the investigation currently underway at the funeral home is not a result of the initial investigation.
For several months, Johnson had been in the process of moving the funeral home from its current location on U.S. Highway 441 South to a new building in downtown Douglas. The new location, however, is not ready for move-in. In the meantime, the funeral home had been operating out of its original facility.
There have been rumblings of various issues at Johnson Funeral and Cremation Services for a long time. All of that came to a head this weekend when the current landlord began the eviction process. It was then that bodies were found inside the funeral home. The bodies were reported to law enforcement and officers swarmed the funeral home.
All told, they found a total of 18 bodies along with the two dead pets. Some of the individuals had been deceased for months. The Douglas Fire Department’s hazmat unit was on the scene for most the day Saturday helping recover bodies. They left the funeral home around 10 p.m. Saturday.
Officials are in the process of identifying the deceased and notifying families.
Sunday afternoon, Johnson was arrested at his home and taken into custody. He has been charged with 17 counts of felony abuse of a dead body. One of the bodies had not been at the funeral home long enough to warrant charges.
Monday, Johnson was denied bond and remains in the Coffee County Jail.