Human remains found at Riverdale home

RIVERDALE, Ill. (WLS) -- Human remains, including the bodies of four people, were discovered in the garage of a south suburban home, officials said.

Family members of homeowner Anton Godfrey - who died two weeks ago - discovered the remains in his Riverdale home, located near East 139th and South Dearborn streets, while going through his belongings Wednesday night.

Police say Godfrey was improperly storing bodies in his garage in preparation for burial. According to state records, Godfrey was fined $10,000 in August 2013 for operating as a funeral director and embalmer without a license.

In addition to the bodies, Cook County Medical Examiner's officials say they are also examining a container of organs and a box of cremains. They say they are working to identify the bodies.

Because there is a factory nearby that gives off fumes, residents say they never smelled or suspected anything coming from the garage until the discovery was made.

"What freaked us out was the funeral casket," said neighbor Christine Smyth, who watched investigators for hours. "Maybe it was just an old casket, part of his job. I don't know. But when they started taking pictures of the casket, like whatever was inside there, and then we knew something was not right with that."

When asked if she was surprised about the discovery, Godfrey's daughter said "yes" as she briefly returned home Thursday, but not everyone was shocked. A worker at a South Side funeral home where Godfrey once worked claims that he knew Godfrey was doing some funeral work out of his garage at one point.

Neighbors say in hindsight, they did notice some strange activity near the garage.

"I know that guy was always at the garage at weird hours of the night," Smyth said.

"My window is right back there and I could see him walk back there, but I didn't really think anything about it," said Hugh Songioett, a neighbor.

Several headstones were also found at the property. Rasheeda Madyun, a family friend of Godfrey, said two of the discarded headstones on the lawn belong to her mother and sister. Her mother died nearly six years ago and her sister passed in 2013.

"We are family people. We love our family and we always put family first," Madyun said.

Madyun said Godfrey took great care in helping bury her loved ones.

GODFREY'S HISTORY OF UNLICENSED FUNERALS

The ABC7 I-Team has obtained records showing that Godfrey was on the radar of state regulators for years.

In 2012, the Illinois Department of Financial Regulation found that Godfrey arranged for funerals and burials for 25 people - even though he was not licensed as a funeral director or embalmer.

State regulators fined him $10,000.

State records show that Godfrey didn't respond to the state's complaint - and never paid the fine.

State regulators also claim that Godfrey was paid $1,000 to cremate a relative of his from Aurora who died in March of 2012. Regulators say that Godfrey didn't dispose of the body until six months later - after the initial cease and desist order.