Unclaimed Persons

It's hard to imagine, but hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people die each year whose identities are known (they aren't a Jane or John Doe), but for whom no family member can be found to claim their body. These poor souls often end up buried in unmarked graves after several months on a shelf at the morgue, although in some cases a local church or community group will step in to donate headstones.

Stumbling across an article about one such case is what prompted genealogist Megan Smolenyak to call several coroner's offices and offer her sleuthing skills to assist them in tracking down family members. It's an interesting application of family history research, and makes for a wonderful story. A new video at RootsTelevision.com share the story of these unclaimed persons and Megan's work to find the family of Joseph Higgs who was found dead in his jeep in the California desert (his family had lost track of him almost 50 years earlier) and John Finch found deceased in his home in Scranton, PA (whose family has still not been located).

I've donated research time in the past to help reconnect families with old family photos, bibles or treasured family heirlooms, but never thought about actually connecting families with missing deceased relatives. Megan mentions site UnclaimedPersons.com in the video, a Web site where Coroner's departments in the state of California provides information to the public regarding deceased loved ones for whom next of kin has never been located. Since its launch, over 40 families have been reunited with deceased loved ones through the site.

If you happen to learn anything about any of these unclaimed persons, please do not take it upon yourself to contact the family directly. This is something that is best left up to the investigators in charge of the case and they are the ones you should contact with your information.