CHICAGO (WLS) — Attorneys announced more civil lawsuits Thursday against crematoriums in Chicago Heights and Crown Point, Indiana.
The facilities are accused of negligence and gross mishandling of human remains.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
In April the first lawsuit was filed. After that, other people came forward expressing concerns that the remains of their loved ones may have also been mishandled.
The new lawsuits from Illinois and Indiana families were announced during a press conference Thursday morning in Chicago.
As the state works to permanently shut down Heights Crematory, it’s expected the first lawsuits alleging mishandling of remains will be filed in Illinois. Meanwhile, one man who trusted his mother’s remains to the crematory is still fighting to get his mother’s ashes back.
“First off, I just want my mother back, so we can get closure on that,” Dan Spanley said.
Spanley and his family are among those suing after the Lake Station, Indiana man says his late mother’s remains were mishandled.
“My kids ask, ‘when are we going to get grandma?’ I tell them, ‘I can’t answer that,'” Spanley said.
Lisa Spanley, 67, died on Oct. 27, 2024, after a long illness.
Spanley says he paid $800 to Crown Cremation Services in Crown Point, Indiana and Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, Illinois to cremate his mother’s remains.
But, instead of properly preparing his mother’s remains and returning them to the family, he says they did nothing.
“They expect that the funeral home or crematory will fulfill their obligations in a sacred manner, and this has been a gross disruption of that process,” attorney Karen Enright said.
So far, a Chicago law firm has teamed up with an Indianapolis-based one to file more than 30 cases, claiming improper storage and commingling of remains, and, in some cases, families getting incorrect remains or no remains at all.
“This isn’t something that people tend to do on and off. It’s a pattern of practice; this is what they’re doing across the board,” attorney Gabriel Hawkins said.
Heights Crematory was recently shut down by the state, after 100 bodies were found.
They were improperly stored.
Heights Crematory could not be reached for comment.
Also named in the lawsuits are Crown Cremation Service along with Castle Hill Funeral of Dyer, Indiana.
Both declined to comment on the pending lawsuits.
The next hearing to decide the fate of Heights Crematory is set for June 24.
It’s little comfort for families that haven’t been able to lay their loved ones to rest.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
