Tyler, 76, died of cancer in February 2025. His daughter, Terri, had hired Heights Crematory, a business operated in Chicago Heights by Clark and Johanna Morgan, to cremate him. The family says it took nearly two weeks to locate his remains after Terri learned the crematory had been barred from accepting bodies.

The Tylers found him at South Chicago Chapel, which the Morgans also operated, according to the family’s attorney, Karen Enright. Enright said Tyler’s body was in a cardboard box, wrapped in the sheet his daughter had used, and was not refrigerated. A toe tag shown in video recorded by the family identified him as “Robert Taylor.”

The family is suing the Morgans and Heights Crematory, alleging mishandling of Tyler’s remains and seeking damages for breach of contract and emotional distress. The claims have not been resolved in court.

In August 2026, investigators found 55 bodies inside South Chicago Chapel, according to state authorities. A state investigation into Heights Crematory was already underway when Terri contracted with the business. The crematory had been effectively shut down after reports that bodies were stored in unrefrigerated trailers and left to decay.

The case adds to a record of complaints involving Clark Morgan. In 2020, the family of Helen Mercer said her body had been improperly handled at a funeral home Morgan operated in Ford Heights. State records show Morgan’s funeral director and embalmer intern license expired in 2019 and was not renewed. In April 2024, he was fined $10,000 and his license was revoked over an incident involving use of a forged license to transport bodies, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Two months later, Evergreen Park police found two bodies inside Morgan’s minivan, according to police records cited in reporting on the case. No criminal charges were filed in that incident.

Oversight is divided between state agencies: the Illinois Comptroller’s Office regulates crematories, while the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation oversees funeral homes. The department declined to say whether it had received a complaint about Tyler, saying complaints remain confidential until a formal case is filed or disciplinary action is taken.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza previously said the investigation into Heights Crematory highlighted serious concerns about Morgan’s conduct and that some actions could potentially constitute felony offenses.

Enright said the Tyler family remains distressed by what it saw and by the trust it placed in the businesses handling their father’s remains. She said families should be able to expect that funeral providers will treat the deceased with dignity.