“A person dies. No one knows how to reach the
family. The coroner’s investigators have exhausted their resources. That’s when
Unclaimed Persons starts to work.”
It
sounds like opening line from a forensic program on TV, but Unclaimed Persons is a real group
made up of volunteers who combine their love and understanding of
genealogy research with investigative research techniques to try and
locate the next of kin for those who have died without any one to claim them.
These
aren’t necessarily people who have not been identified; rather it’s their family – their next
of kin that are unknown. Although there are also those who have used a false
identity, or several, and died without their actual identity known.
So
how does Unclaimed Persons (UP) work?
1)
A coroner’s office will send information to Unclaimed Persons. A submission
form
can be filled out on line, or the coroner’s office can provide specifics in
their standard format.
2)
A case manager with the UP group will assign a case number to the submission.
3)
The case manager then forwards the information to a case administrator,
labeling it as an “active case.”
4)
A conversational thread between volunteers and readers begins. (It is these
conversations that usually bring about the discovery of those elusive next of
kin.)
5)
Information is investigated by UP volunteers using their genealogy research
techniques. A social security application may be ordered to assist with
difficult cases.
6)
Findings are submitted to a UP case administrator who reviews the information.
7)
That administrator will then submit the findings to the case manager.
8)
The case manager will prepare a report that goes to the submitting coroner’s
office.
9)
And hopefully, the coroner’s office will share the outcome of the case (without
violating anyone’s privacy) with the Unclaimed Persons group.
If
the deceased has already been interred, the next of kin will be given the
option of having the remains disinterred and moved. If the body was cremated
and the ashes scattered, the next of kin will be given that information.
There
is no set period of time for a case to be solved. A case can be returned to the
group for a second attempt if the information did not produce the necessary
resolution or if the relatives express no interest in getting involved.
In
the past six years, since Unclaimed Persons began, volunteers have solved hundreds
of cases.
If
you would like to volunteer your time and expertise in assisting to help locate "missing" family
members, contact Unclaimed Persons on their Facebook page. "Every life is worth remembering."
~
Joy
