outcome of body w/ no one to claim it (and timeline)

[robling_t]

setting: contemporary, Cook County, IL (Chicago)
searched: county website's page for duties of the medical examiner; LD tags on funerals and suicide

Comments

[teacup_carousel]

Just asked my mama who works in a hospital in Phoenix and she says the X can be filled in with anywhere from 1-2 weeks depending on where you die. Some places apparently can be significantly shorter and some communities may choose to hold for longer depending on moral standards or funding available. But that's just before burial - of course if relatives find out after the burial date they have every right to reclaim and move the body to a place of their choosing (providing they are willing to pay for it).

Usually what happens when a suicide is discovered a team from the county come over to look at the body and remove it. Afterwards there's another group (closely tied with the first) that comes over and goes through in an incredibly thorough manner all of the deceased's belongings searching for letters of correspondence, address books or anything of the like that may point at relatives or loved ones that they could notify. These items are then picked up, collected, tagged and bagged and sent to an office in the city coroner where another special group of people spend their time calling the numbers and checking up on leads. These groups are generally over worked and under paid and they try their best with given materials, but still there's only so much they can do at one time. But in my experience they do tend to be very diligent and hard working once they've found a lead and frequently they will end up making contact with a friend of a friend who knows a guy as you put it. If that person is the only person available and no one else is there to sign for the body I haven't heard of any reason why the body would not then be released.

Sorry, I don't know too much about the personal effects of a person. I watched a documentary about unclaimed corpses quite awhile ago and I want to say that there was something about donation involved? But I can be certain about that so I'll keep my mouth shut. Sorry. :x