Charged over rotting bodies, Ga. funeral home owner faces more counts

DOUGLAS, Ga. - The owner of a funeral home in Douglas is now facing additional charges on top of the 17 he was already facing over decomposing bodies found at the business.

Chris Johnson is now also charged with three counts of violation of vital records registration and one count of theft by taking, according to Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Fred Cole.

Johnson is still facing 17 counts of abusing a dead body

Several of the bodies left to decompose at the funeral home have been identified, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The families of 12 bodies found at Johnson Funeral Home in Douglas were notified of the identities and were given the “necessary information for them to finalize arrangements for their loved ones,” the GBI said.

The GBI said the identities will not be released out of privacy for the families.

In October, 18 decomposing bodies were found in the Coffee County funeral home. Two pets, a dog and a cat, were also found decomposing in the funeral home.

The funeral home’s operator, Chris Johnson, 39, was charged with 17 counts of abuse of a dead body, according to the GBI.

The GBI said it is still working to identify the other six remains that were found.

“The GBI Crime Lab is evaluating the cremains that have been turned over to determine if they are human remains. The GBI continues its work in trying to the cremation information and whether cremains were sent to the correct families, as well as other investigative leads,” the law enforcement agency said in a statement.

The GBI said once its investigation is finished, it will turn over the case file to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Douglas is about 200 miles south of Atlanta.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.