One of the questions that has plagued me even before I started working in the death industry was: "What happens to the unclaimed and unidentified dead?"
Well today I started my own little investigation.
After going to the Medical Examiner's office today to literally smell a body...yes we had to go to the M.E. and smell the body of someone who would be coming into our funeral home for cremation because they were in such an advance state of decomp. After a good thorough sniff we deemed that this bloated, green, rotten husk of what use to be a human male was acceptable to bring within our funeral establishment. If the body was not deemed worthy we would have left it there at the M.E.'s office until tomorrow morning where we would throw him as our sacrifice into our ghastly crematorium.
Going about this process is a little bit more tricky than your regular autopsy. Because of his state of decomposition this person was doubled bagged (as in placed inside two body bags, and a bag was also placed around his head). Obviously we will not be removing him from his body bags. Instead we place the bags onto a table that we use that will be able to go into the cooler to help slow down the decomposition. Once we treat his body with chemicals to stop the rot and the persistent smell of death, we place clothing over the body, reseal him into the body bags and place those bags into an alternative container.
The family will not be viewing the body, but will be able to have a moment of visitation with him; much like a closed casket.
When I got home I decided to look up the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner and was really surprised by what I was able to find.
Here are the reasons why a death must be reported to the medical examiner:
Cases which must be reported:
Deaths meeting the requisite criteria must be immediately reported to the Medical Examiner. In the event that the injury causing the death occurred in another county, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner must be notified and would refer the case investigation to the outside county.
All physicians and other persons having knowledge of the death of any person who has died under any of the following circumstances shall immediately report such death to the Medical Examiner:
All deaths in which there are unexplained, unusual or suspicious circumstances;
All homicides, suicides, accidents or unnatural deaths;
All deaths due to poisoning or overdose, whether homicidal, suicidal, or accidental;
All deaths following accidents, whether the injury is or was not the primary cause of death (examples: quadriplegia due to trauma or an accident);
When there is no physician or accredited practitioner, who has attended or treated the decedent within 30 days preceding death;
When the physician caring for the decedent refuses to sign the death certificate;
All deaths that occur in a hospital emergency room setting;
Maternal deaths due to abortion;
Deaths of inmates of public institutions, who have not been hospitalized for organic illness;
Deaths of persons in custody of law enforcement officers;
Deaths that occur in association with, or as a result of diagnostic, therapeutic, or anesthetic procedures;
Deaths due to neglect;
Fetus of 20 weeks or older, unattended by a physician or practitioner;
Deaths of persons in which a fracture of a major bone (femur, tibia, pelvis, skull, etc.) has occurred within the past six months;
Deaths following traumatic head bleeds
Deaths occurring outside of a hospital or nursing home, and not enrolled in a palliative care program under the care of a physician;
Occupational related deaths attributable entirely or in part to external work place factors;
Any death in which there is doubt as to whether it is a Medical Examiner's case should be reported and discussed with a Medical Examiner's Forensic Investigator;
Sudden and unexpected deaths occurring in infants or children under the age of 2, under circumstances not explained by a pre-existing medical problem, must be referred to the Medical Examiner.
For those of you who might be wondering, an autopsy is not performed in every single case that comes into the M.E. A lot of the time the medical examiner working on the case can determine cause of death by viewing the medical records and during their investigation. An autopsy is ordered by the medical examiner when cause of death is uncertain and in some cases they are required by law due to the circumstances surrounding their death.
And then I found this really interesting report from 1919:
1919 Complete Coroner's Report
Which is really fascinating to read. If you have never read a coroner's annual report, it breaks down that year's death total into different categories such as murders, suicides, and natural causes.
For those of my readers who live in Portage County, here is the 2012 Coroner's annual report. Here
The information found on these reports comes from the death certificates and is used for statistics and the like.
If you took the time to check those links out (or even if you didn't). Notice how in 1919 in Milwaukee there were 710 reported deaths as compared to the 2012 Portage County 268 reported deaths. Today, the Milwaukee County Medial Examiner investigates about 6,000 deaths each year. To say that I am going to school for mortuary science in a great area is an understatement.
One interesting thing about larger counties such as Milwaukee or Cook County Illinois (where Chicago is located) is that on the Medical Examiner's website they also have a section for unidentified bodies.
If you so dare, you may check out how they document the unclaimed dead for Milwaukee County Here. Please keep in mind that it does contain graphic images of both adults and children.
As far as what happens to the physical remains of the unclaimed dead here is what I was able to find from our Wisconsin Government State Statues:
157.02 Disposal of unclaimed corpses.
(1) Notice to relatives. When an inmate of any state, county or municipal institution dies, the superintendent or other person in charge of the institution shall immediately notify a relative of the decedent. A public officer having the possession or the disposition of a corpse shall immediately notify a relative of the decedent. If no relative is known, or discoverable by use of ordinary diligence, notice may be dispensed with. In addition, if the deceased had been an inmate of a state correctional institution, the department of corrections shall provide written notification to the relative informing him or her that the department of corrections, upon request, will provide a copy of any autopsy report or other report or information pertaining to the death. The department of corrections shall describe how the request may be made and shall promptly comply with any such request.
(2) Time allowed relative to act. If a relative or friend fails to arrange for taking charge of the corpse within a reasonable time after death, the superintendent or other officer may proceed as provided in this section, but relatives or friends may claim the corpse at any time before it has been delivered pursuant to sub. (3).
(3) Notice to university or school. If the corpse is in the Mendota Mental Health Institute district, the University of Wisconsin shall be notified that it may have the corpse. If the corpse is in the Winnebago Mental Health Institute district, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc., or any accredited school of mortuary science at Milwaukee shall be notified that it may have the corpse. The university or school so notified shall immediately inform the superintendent or public officer whether it desires to have the corpse. If it does, the corpse shall be delivered accordingly, properly encased, to the most available facility for transportation to the consignee, the consignee to pay the cost of transportation.
(4) Standing applications. If there are advance applications for such bodies, by the Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc., or any accredited school of mortuary science, the superintendent or public officer shall make an equitable distribution between them.
(5) Other disposition. If the corpse is not disposed of under subs. (1) to (4), the superintendent or public officer shall properly bury it.
History: 1971 c. 211; 1973 c. 90 s. 560 (3); 1985 a. 316 s. 14; Stats. 1985 s. 157.02; 1987 a. 27; 1989 a. 31; 2001 a. 103.
Link: http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/157
So for those of you who may not really understand legal jargon I have found this really interesting Wisconsin State Journal article written in 2010 about what some counties around Wisconsin do with their unclaimed dead. You can read it Here.
From what I was able to get from it, what happens to the remains of unclaimed and unidentified dead depends a lot on the size of the county and their budget. Some counties freeze, others bury (all on the cost of the tax payers dime).
And of course there is my favorite documentary that I have already previously mentioned in another blog but will leave it right here for you to watch again... "A Certain Kind of Death".
And with that my dear deathlings, I bid you all a good night.
Until next time.
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