If you do research like I do about the Death Care profession you come across lots of articles that talk about county morgues running out of room to hold human remains.  And, one of the big reasons is that so many human remains are going unclaimed in this day and age.

 

When you look further into the research it is not that the government agencies don’t know who these bodies are, or even who their relatives are, but in many instances when someone dies alone with little or no resources, the family members found do not want to assume financial responsibilities for disposition costs.  Here’s how this recent article from the Los Angeles Times explained the situation:

 

“In almost all cases in L.A., when government agencies are called in to pick up bodies at residences or on the street, they locate next of kin after sleuthing in databases. But many family members refuse to claim their dead relatives. We encountered countless reasons: A husband has left his family, siblings have grown bitterly at odds, an uncle has lost touch. In an era of growing polarization over politics, faith and sexuality, parents and adult children often feel as if they have no choice but to cut off contact. The opioid epidemic and untreated mental illness also strain kin ties beyond repair. On paper, these families are still a unit, but they no longer support one another. In other cases, families are split up through incarceration or the foster care system.”

 

That same article goes on to say that “Demographic trends show that the close-knit family structure that once protected people from going unclaimed no longer prevails”.  And, while funeral homes and crematories have long looked to the growing Baby Boomer uptick in number of deaths for a financial boon, the article also points out something that could tear into that thought when it says the following, “Demographers predict a coming generation of “kinless seniors” a million strong, without partners or spouses, children or siblings”.

 

Maryland is one of the few states that keeps records on unclaimed bodies.  As of 2021 the percentage of “unclaimed deaths” in Maryland has reached 4.5% of all deaths.  The law in Maryland states that after 7 days the body is cremated by the State Anatomy Board and the cremated remains are interred at the state burial grounds in Sykesville, Maryland, at state expense. . . . . if that number of 4.5% of all deaths is or eventually becomes the percentage of all deaths in America that would equate to about 144,000 deaths. . . or about 3,000 deaths per state on average.

 

There is probably a lot of societal issues that our country needs to look at as to why this growth has happened.  That is probably out of the realm of funeral homes, crematories, and cemeteries purveyance, but the result could cause a shift in how these decedents are handled by the respective states.

 

3,000 deaths at even a minimum of $1000 of expense per case would equal a $3 million budget item for each state if they contracted out the transfer from the morgue and cremation cost to a local crematory.  This recent article that I read questioned why a crematory was not included in the new Jacksonville (Florida) medical examiner office being constructed.

 

That’s probably a fair question for a county that may be paying out money to a contracted funeral home/crematory for this service.  If the contracted costs and the numbers of unclaimed bodies continue to increase, in-house services by a state or county may prove to be a better value for the governmental unit when compared to contracted services by a private operated licensed death care provider.

 

In the American “constitutional republic” this decision would go to the local level and each state, county, and city, has the option, in lieu of no federal law on the subject to create their own system of unclaimed body dispositions.  In an “out of the box” thought process, I can see cities like Los Angeles, or maybe even a state like Maryland construct and operate their own crematory which might make more financial sense to them.  After all, at the end of the day those elected officials have the responsibility to take care of “unclaimed bodies” in a responsible manner and economically efficient method for their taxpayers.

 

It would not be unprecedented. . . we have city municipal and county liquor stores.  And, many states and counties have a combination of how they house incarcerated people — there are both government operated prisons and government contracted private prisons such as those from The GEO Group or Core Civic.

 

However you look at this growing problem it is a sad commentary on a part of the American story.  It’s almost somewhat beyond me in thinking that when a human life perishes that there is nobody willing to take responsibility for giving thanks that a life has been lived.  I’m glad that we have a way to compassionately dispose of the deceased — mostly through a government cremation process  —  but the growing trend of “unclaimed” simply because of financial concerns is disappointing.

 

Funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematories need to watch this growing trend.  At some point you might look at the growing percentage of deaths that go unclaimed, especially if government units get into the disposition business, and wonder “At what point might this affect my financial results”.

 

The long-term thought:  It simply cannot be good for the future of funeral homes and crematories if governmental agencies get into the direct cremation business of unclaimed bodies.  With the advent of higher percentages of “Direct Cremation with No Services” in our society one can see families saying,  even for “claimed” bodies, “Let’s just let the medical examiner cremate him/her as long as that is where they are at”.  

 

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Seattle area funerals are costly.  Here’s why and how you can plan.  Seattle Times (WA)
• Two people bailed in funeral home inquiry.  BBC (Great Britain)
• Castelnau Group jumps on Dignity(plc) announcement.  Quoted Data (Great Britain)
• Castelnau Group Website
• Why is America using more embalming fluids?  Cremation.green
• Kansas City cemetery faces threat of being shut down.  Fox 4 – Kansas City (MO)
• Startup “Buried in Work” seeks to aid families with end-of-life burdens.  Hospice News
• Buried in Work website

 

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