Coroner’s offices in Pennsylvania are reporting a growing number of unclaimed human remains, raising concerns across the state.
According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, the number of unclaimed bodies has increased steadily in recent years. In 2023, the office dealt with 23 unclaimed bodies. So far in 2024, they’ve already handled 18, with half the year remaining.
This problem is not limited to one county. Other counties, including Westmoreland, are also seeing similar trends.
Officials say this increase is putting pressure on local resources, and it’s becoming more challenging to manage final arrangements for people whose families either cannot be located or are unable or unwilling to claim them.
One of the key reasons behind this issue is financial. Funeral costs have gone up significantly, and many families simply cannot afford to cover them.
In other cases, there may be no next of kin, or the family might be estranged. Some people die alone with no contact information or emergency contacts available, making it harder for coroners to reach relatives.
In Westmoreland County, officials mentioned that just this year, they’ve dealt with around 11 unclaimed remains. The county usually works with funeral homes to try and resolve such cases, but when no one steps forward, the county takes on the responsibility of cremating the body and storing the ashes.
In some cases, if the deceased is a veteran, they are buried with military honors. If not, the cremated remains are either stored or buried in a public cemetery.
The emotional weight of this work is not lost on the staff involved. Coroners and medical examiners say it’s a heavy feeling when someone’s life ends, and there is no one to remember or honor them. It becomes more than just paperwork—it becomes a reflection of societal gaps in connection, care, and support.
In Allegheny County, the process involves waiting at least 30 days to give family or friends the chance to claim the body. If no one does, the remains are cremated and stored.
The county keeps the ashes, and families can still collect them at a later date if they come forward. However, many of these ashes remain unclaimed indefinitely.
This situation also raises questions about the support systems available for people nearing the end of their lives. Many elderly or isolated individuals die alone, with little to no contact with anyone. Social isolation, poverty, and lack of community connections are contributing factors that lead to more people dying without someone to take responsibility for them after death.
Officials believe that more awareness and community involvement could help reduce this issue. Encouraging people to have conversations about end-of-life arrangements, staying connected with relatives, and creating legal documents such as wills or advance directives might make a difference in the future.
In the meantime, coroners’ offices across Pennsylvania are doing what they can to ensure that every person is treated with dignity, even in death.
But with the rising number of unclaimed remains, they are calling for better planning, increased funding, and more public understanding about the realities of this growing concern.