What do they do with a person's body that has no known relatives?

Question

Do they try to hunt down a relative to pay for burial. Or do they cremate the body and dispose of it?
This is a serious question.

Answer 1

prob sell to science

Answer 2

This is an interesting question, and it would help to know what state you live in to give you a definitive answer. Most states follow the "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" rule, but there are many exceptions.

For example, in Hawai'i, if a dead body is recovered and there are no relatives to claim the remains, the body is covered with leis. Then a deep pit is prepared with an earthmover machine. Branches from the Pa'auli Malakalui tree are then put in the bottom of the pit and set afire. When the fire burns down to glowing embers, the body is wrapped in a wet burlap sack and dropped into the pit. The earthmover is brought back to cover the pit, and it is then watched for 48 hours by a Paulika man.

When the Paulika decides the time is right, he carefully digs up the body, shreds the meat, prepares special sauces to dip the meat in, and declares a Luau alu'u Kakamami (big party for everyone).

But, states that follow the poisoned tree rule assume that the dead body did not died of natural causes. Therefore, there may be toxic substances that have seeped into the flesh. So, rather than prepare it for consumption, they stamp it "Grade A -- U.S. Department of Agriculture" and ship it to Hawaii.

New Jersey uses cement.
In Idaho they use a rifle range.
And, Alaska has lots of deep mountain chasms that need to be filled.

I hope this helps. Aloha.

Answer 3

I think they either have cementaries or they donate it to science. The person's stuff usually goes on auction that helps pay the person's debt.

The money profited from these auctions are kept by a lawyer for a predetermined amount of time until they are given to the state (I believe its the state).

Often the lawyer will list a listing in the newspaper asking for any relatives for the deceased to come and claim the money - and they do go through records so just not anyone can go and say they are related to so-and-so.

Answer 4

The county in which the person dies usually has the body cremated and buried in a county cemetery, and they absorb the cost. This happened to an acquaintance of mine. Her brother died and she did not claim the body, so that is what they did. They did not demand any payment from family.

Answer 5

I have friends who are in the medical field, and this is what they tell me... When a body is unclaimed by relatives for a span of time (usually salvage victims or patients who have no known relatives), the hospital calims custody of the body until it is surrendered for medical research. Usually, the bodies are sold to medical students to be used in training (dissecting a body, finding out the parts of the human body, usually for anatomy class)... gross but true...

Answer 6

They keep it in the county morgue for 5 years. If no one claims it by then they cremate it and put it in a big hole with all of the other people who were never claimed.

Answer 7

If a person is specified as and organ donor than their remains will most likely go to science or organ donations. If not than they will most likey cremate the body and put it in a nice little wearhouse somewhere.

Answer 8

In England the government pay for the funeral and it is in a plot with either Jane or John Doe and the death date. As far I as I know a body isn't given to science without consent.

Answer 9

i think they cremate. i faced sth like that recently. my best friend killed himself and left his poor mom alone and she couldn't even pay for a "normal" grave. it looks very miserable. and what's killing me most is that even relatives don't seem to care.

Answer 10

Most areas of the world have what called "pauper graves" where they bury those that did not have anyone come claim them.

Answer 11

if you didn't sign a donor's slip then you won't have to worry about your body parts. usually they cremate you.