Unclaimed bodies left at North Carolina morgues, taxpayers foot the bill
RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) — The boxes line the shelves like an encyclopedia, but this bookcase sits in a morgue.
The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) is now in possession of the cremated remains of 83 unclaimed decedents, a sobering but substantive issue for death investigators and taxpayers alike.
The 83 decedents are among the more than 12,000 cases referred to the OCME, which is given jurisdiction over sudden, unexpected and violent deaths.
Officially, North Carolina law defines an “unclaimed body” as a decedent whose known relatives or contacts cease communications with the OCME for at least five days after becoming aware of the death investigation. An unclaimed body can also be a decedent who has been in the possession of the OCME for at least 10 days and there hasn’t been any contact with next of kin.
According to Dr. Michelle Aurelius, Chief Medical Officer, only a fraction of the unclaimed are unidentified – meaning the vast majority of unclaimed decedents have known names and records.
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