Bad economy hitting even the dead hard

Unclaimed bodies a problem in Kane County
By James Fuller Daily Herald StaffContact writer

Kane County officials say a dramatic increase in the number of unclaimed bodies in their morgue may be due to tough economic times.

No one is claiming five or six bodies a week, Kane County Coroner Charles West said Thursday, speculating that a sluggish economy leaves next of kin without enough money to pay for funeral and burial services.

"People all of a sudden realize that the wake of their loved one is going to cost thousands and thousands of dollars, and so they walk away from it," West said.

The problem with unclaimed bodies is not a new phenomenon. West said even before the economy slowed his office would handle five or six unclaimed bodies in a month.

But both the increase in unclaimed bodies and the sheer number West is dealing with is unusual for the suburbs.

Lake County tallies about six unclaimed bodies a year. DuPage County Coroner Pete Siekmann said his office sees maybe four unclaimed bodies all year long.

"That number is a bit higher than it's been in recent years," Siekmann said. "We're recognizing we have a pending problem."

Siekmann said just this week he made contact with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a relationship for when DuPage must handle the rare case of an unclaimed body with no financial resources.

Coroners in the area said what happens to unclaimed bodies depends on how much money can be located for a burial.

First they determine if the person was an honorably-discharged military veteran. If so, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs department pays for burial in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

If the individual was not a military veteran, then the coroner's office tries to secure Public Aid funds to cover the burial. If no public aid or accepting funeral home, then some coroners have the body cremated. The coroner's office keeps the ashes until a relative picks them up.
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