By News Channel 11

Published: June 18, 2009

By Sharon McBrayer

Media General News Service

MORGANTON - The economic recession has affected just about every aspect of life for the common person.

For some, it’s spilling over into death.

Because of the tough times, some people are finding it hard to pay for funerals or cremations, so they are leaving the remains of loved ones unclaimed.

If that happens, it is the county’s responsibility to take care of the bodies and pick up the cost.

It’s happening more and more, said David Smith, director of Burke County Department of Social Services.

In 2008, social services had two unclaimed bodies, he said.

Since January, the department has handled seven unclaimed bodies, Smith said.

If a body is unclaimed after 10 days, social services is contacted, Smith said.

Social services tries to find someone who can claim the person, Smith said. Generally, if someone dies at a hospital, there is a next-of-kin listed. Social services may also have a record of the person.

However, even if there are family members around, Smith said he’s had some tell him they just don’t have the money to pay for a funeral or cremation and, therefore, don’t claim the body.

Social services has a contract with Heritage Funeral Service & Crematory in Valdese to handle unclaimed bodies. Each one costs the county $300.

Andy Thompson, co-owner of Heritage Funeral Service & Crematory, said after the funeral home opened its crematorium in May 2008, social services started contracting with them to perform cremations for unclaimed bodies.

Thompson said if they receive a call from social services about an unclaimed body, they pick up the body and it is held at the funeral home for 10 days. That allows time for someone to come forward to claim the person.

If that doesn’t happen, then the body is cremated, but the funeral home is required to have a death certificate and a signed cremation authorization form. That form is either signed by a next-of-kin or someone from social services before a cremation occurs, Thompson said.

“Even if they’re not claimed they need to be treated with dignity,“ Thompson said. “Everyone deserves some kind of final disposition.“

The cost of the cremation is $300, which covers the expense of picking up the body and the natural gas used to operate the crematorium, Thompson said. Social services pays the cost.

After the body is cremated, the funeral home holds the remains for another 30 days, which is longer than state statutes require, Thompson said.

If there is someone to claim the remains but they don’t have the money to pay for the cremation, the funeral home allows them to pick up the remains. If no one claims the remains, they are buried, Thompson said.

So far, only one person’s remains haven’t been claimed since the funeral home opened the crematorium, Thompson said.

Sharon McBrayer is a staff writer for The News Herald in Morganton.