Michigan Sees an Increase in Unclaimed Dead

I recently wrote about financial hardship causing an increase in unclaimed bodies in Los Angeles County and Clarke County, Nevada. 

Authorities in Wayne County, Michigan, which includes Detroit, report a rise in the number of families failing to claim a body or signing a form stating that they can’t afford to bury a body. 

An increase in unclaimed dead could also be experienced in other counties where budget cuts, including burial assistance, is under consideration, such as Milwaukee County.

See Alison Stateman, Death in Recession: More Bodies Left Unburied, Time, Aug. 6, 2009.

Special thanks to Douglas Cowan (attorney, Deloitte) for bringing this article to my attention.