More bodies go unclaimed as families can't afford funeral costs

More bodies go unclaimed as families can't afford funeral costs

www.latimes.com

By Molly Hennessy-Fiske
July 21, 2009
The poor economy is taking a toll even on the dead, with an increasing number of bodies in Los Angeles County going unclaimed by families who cannot afford to bury or cremate their loved ones.

At the county coroner's office -- which handles homicides and other suspicious deaths -- 36% more cremations were done at taxpayers' expense in the last fiscal year over the previous year, from 525 to 712.

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This is a really sad article but it is a sign of the times indeed. I can’t even begin to imagine what families must be feeling when they cannot afford to give their loved ones a proper burial on top of the stress of job losses, foreclosures, and everything else that is a product of the depression. Since the families are unable to afford the cost it must be picked up by the state adding to the financial burden they are already in. Where and when will this end?

www.latimes.com
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