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Commissioners say county needs a clear policy on unclaimed bodies after case exposed gaps
Summary
After a recent case involving an unclaimed decedent, commissioners asked the medical examiner to brief them and scheduled a Feb. 5 committee meeting to develop policy covering storage, transportation and cost reimbursement.
A recent incident involving an unclaimed decedent prompted Ogemaw County commissioners to call for a formal policy on how the county handles unclaimed bodies, storage costs and transportation responsibilities.
Committee member (voice S4) said the county does not have an established policy for unclaimed decedents and described a case in which staff could not locate next of kin and storage and transport arrangements lacked clarity. "We don't have a storage facility," Committee member (voice S4) said, arguing the county needs written procedures so the issue does not “escalate” again.
S4 requested that the medical examiner or the contracting ME company attend a committee meeting on Feb. 5 to explain current practice, options for transport and storage, and any reimbursement mechanisms other counties use. The board agreed the briefing should be scheduled for the committee of the whole and that staff should gather example policies from neighboring counties.
Commissioners noted that, until someone legally claims a decedent, the county is the custodian. The board asked staff to assemble comparative policies and operational alternatives for the Feb. 5 discussion.
