Kentucky Coroner Seeks Dead Man’s Family in Ohio
David Hamilton Sell’s body lies unclaimed in the morgue in Ashland, Kentucky. Now, the Boyd County Coroner’s Office wants to find his next of kin to make sure he gets a proper funeral.
There isn’t a lot of detail about Sell. The coroner says he was 61 years old and found dead on Chatteroi Street in Ashland. Before Ashland, he’s known to have lived in Springfield, Ohio.
The coroner asks that Sell’s’ relatives contact the office at 606-923-8309.
The Boyd County Coroner’s Office said that unclaimed bodies turn up in the officer several times a year. This is often due to there being no identification on the deceased. Sometimes, family members choose not to claim the body.
When the deceased person can’t be easily identified, the office takes fingerprints and begins a hunt for family members. This process may take several weeks. Once the person is identified, the office works with family members to return the body.
If the family refuses to claim the body, the county sets up a burial at a local funeral home and places the body in the county cemetery. If the deceased’s family is found and there is no money for burial, cremation is an option.
While the coroner’s office has funds set aside for these cases, the coroner said more and more often people are not claiming bodies. “This is a huge problem, and it continues to grow every year.” If the deceased is a veteran, the office attempts to place them in the veteran’s cemetery.
The coroner’s office thanked local funeral homes for their help. Funeral homes take turns assisting the county. “All funeral homes take turns helping in this process. Without their help, the fees would be astronomical. Every funeral home truly cares about getting this done and jumps in when asked. The road department is also a huge part of this program. They take care of digging the graves and working hand and hand with the funeral homes. Without everyone’s help, the money it would take would be unreal.”