Georgia funeral director charged with abuse of the dead after 18 decomposing bodies found

Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A southern Georgia funeral home director was jailed after authorities found 18 decomposing bodies inside his funeral home in various states while serving an eviction notice over the weekend.

Coffee County Sheriff's deputies took Chris Johnson into custody in Douglas, Ga., on Monday after deputies found bodies inside the funeral home the day before. The office charged Johnson with 17 counts of abuse of the dead.

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Coffee County Sheriff's Office deputies said the 18 improperly stored bodies include "more then one child" in addition to a dog and cat.

"The investigation remains active and ongoing, with additional charges anticipated as authorities continue to gather evidence and conduct thorough inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the deceased individuals," the sheriff's office said, according to WRBL-TV.

Johnson was denied bond and was still detained in jail as of Tuesday evening.

Johnson had run for the publicly elected Coffee County coroner position but lost in the primary election in May. Douglas is about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to join the investigation by the sheriff's office.

According to the local publication Douglas Now, the Georgia State Board of Funeral Service gave Johson Funeral and Cremation Services a passing inspection on July 19 despite Johnson not holding an active funeral director, embalmer and establishment license.

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By September, Johnson had renewed his embalmer and funeral director licenses but his establishment license, which is needed to operate the facility, remained outstanding.

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