An eviction notice served at the Johnson Funeral Home in Douglas, Georgia, precipitated an investigation that led to the shocking discovery of 18 decomposing bodies. The funeral home’s director, Chris Johnson, was subsequently arrested and charged with multiple felony offenses.
On October 26, 2024, while serving the eviction notice at the property located at 2760 U.S. Hwy. 441 South, deputies discovered the bodies, some of which were children’s, in various stages of decomposition inside a cooler. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) charged 39-year-old Johnson with 17 counts of abuse of a dead body.
The ensuing investigation unveiled disturbing details. Some families had received what they assumed to be the cremated remains of their deceased family members, despite the bodies still residing in the cooler.
Sherri Thomas, a Douglas resident, disclosed her struggle to obtain the death certificate for which she had fully paid Chris Johnson. After 50 to 60 unanswered calls, Thomas began to question the authenticity of the remains she received, suspecting they might not belong to her mother.
Several others were forced to resort to legal threats to procure the death certificates of their loved ones. A local resident, known as “Janell,” recounted her experiences of visiting the funeral home repeatedly, only to find Johnson’s car parked out back, with no answer at the door or on the phone. After threatening legal action, she finally received the death certificates nearly a year later.
Angela Howell, a neighbor of the funeral home, said, “He seemed like such a good person when we first met him.” She was taken aback when she read about the incident on the WALB news site, stating, “He was just kind and gentle, so when someone sent me the link, I was like, ‘That can’t be.’”
Johnson’s professional history showed no red flags. He obtained his license as a funeral service apprentice in 2014, and by 2016, he was a licensed funeral director and embalmer. There were no complaints against him prior to this incident. In May 2024, he ran unsuccessfully for the position of Coffee County coroner.
The arrest warrant outlined that Johnson’s actions exhibited “willful negligence” and “intentional disregard of proper storage” of the remains, leading to severe disfigurement of the deceased. Given the seriousness of the charges, a judge ordered Johnson to be detained without bail until his trial.
Besides the human remains, investigators also found two deceased pets, a cat and a dog, on the property. Both the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and the GBI are currently identifying all the bodies and informing the affected families.
The investigation is ongoing, and further charges are expected. Once completed, the case will be handed to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
In a similar vein, the owners of a Colorado funeral home recently pled guilty to federal fraud charges. The charges stemmed from allegations of client deception and misuse of nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds. The investigation also uncovered 190 decomposing bodies stored in the facility.
