Funeral home owner charged with abusing dead bodies after 18 corpses found

DOUGLAS, Ga. (WALB/Gray News) - Several families are desperately seeking answers after investigators in Georgia discovered 18 decomposing bodies inside a Coffee County funeral home.

Chris Johnson, the owner of Johnson’s Funeral and Cremation Services, was arrested and charged with 17 counts of abuse of a dead body.

WALB previously reported that Johnson was arrested at his home following an investigation that led to the discovery of 18 bodies and two pets, a dog and a cat, in various states of decomposition inside the funeral home.

What started as an eviction notice is now a nightmare for 18 families. Many are left wondering if they even have the remains of their loved ones.

“The first reaction was, ‘I hope it wasn’t our daughter,‘ but then you realize if it’s not our daughter, it’s someone else’s,” Jeff and Tiffany Evans, a concerned family, said.

According to the GBI, the investigation began on Oct. 26. The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office initially arrived on the scene to assist with an eviction notice.

“He seemed like such a good person when we first met him,” Angela Howell, a Douglas native, said. “He was just kind and gentle, so when someone sent me the link from WALB, I was like, ‘That can’t be.‘”

Those who have used Johnson’s services said he was nearly impossible to throughout the entire process.

“We still have not yet received a death certificate that I paid for, in full, to Chris Johnson,” Sherri Thomas, another Douglas, said. “I have called probably over 50 to 60 times and he has not once returned my phone call, and I just wonder with all these bodies, is that even my mama’s body in this urn?”

Others had to threaten him with legal action in order to finally receive the death certificates of their loved ones.

“I came out here many mornings. He was here, his vehicle in the back, but he wouldn’t come to the door when you called him on the phone. I told him I was going to get a lawyer involved. Then he finally got the death certificates back to me, almost after a year,” Janell, a Douglas resident, said.

When asked about his message to the community, Coffee County Coroner Brandon Musgrove said, “My priority is to get the bodies properly identified and make the notifications to the family. Please bear with us. We’re working as diligently as we can.”

The GBI says they are now “working to centralize the flow of information from the community” due to the complexity of this case.

The GBI says the investigation is active and ongoing. Additional charges are pending.

Anyone with information is asked to the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office at 912-384-4227 or the GBI Regional Investigative Office at 912-389-4103. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS, online or by ing the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Copyright 2024 WALB via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.