How to Find Out If a Relative's Body Is Unclaimed

When someone dies and no next of kin is found, the medical examiner or coroner holds them as an unclaimed person. To find out whether a relative is unclaimed, contact the medical examiner or coroner in the county where they lived or may have died, and search unclaimed persons lists in the Crime Solvers Central Unclaimed Persons Database and NamUs. Act quickly: counties may arrange burial or cremation after a set time.

Updated November 15, 2026 · Crime Solvers Central, an independent, volunteer-run cold case site

The Unclaimed Persons Database lists people who have been identified by name but not claimed by family, searchable by name, with the medical examiner or coroner to contact.

Search unclaimed persons

1. Call the medical examiner or coroner

Start with the medical examiner's or coroner's office in the county where your relative lived, and any county where they may have been when they died. Give their full name, date of birth and any other names they used. Ask whether they have a decedent by that name or description, and whether anyone has been listed as next of kin.

2. Search unclaimed persons lists

The Unclaimed Persons Database on Crime Solvers Central is searchable by name.
NamUs has an unclaimed persons search, entered by medical examiners and coroners.
Some counties publish their own lists of unclaimed decedents on the medical examiner's website.
Also check hospitals in the area and local news for reports of an unidentified or unclaimed person.

3. If you find your relative

Call the office listed on the case and give them the case number.
Be ready to show you are next of kin: photo ID and documents such as a birth or marriage certificate. Each office explains what it needs.
Ask about the time limit and the options: how long they can hold the person, whether the county has already arranged burial or cremation, and what help is available if the family can't pay for a funeral.
Contact a funeral home once you're confirmed as next of kin; they usually handle the release from the medical examiner.

If the person has not been identified

If your relative is missing and may not have been identified at all, see how to find out if an unidentified person matches your missing loved one.

The Unclaimed Persons Database lists people who have been identified by name but not claimed by family, searchable by name, with the medical examiner or coroner to contact. See membership options.

Search unclaimed persons

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out if a relative's body is unclaimed?

Contact the medical examiner or coroner in the county where they lived or may have died, and search unclaimed persons lists in the Crime Solvers Central Unclaimed Persons Database, NamUs and any list the county publishes.

What is an unclaimed body?

A person who has died and been identified by name, but whose next of kin has not been found or has not claimed them. The medical examiner or coroner holds them while trying to reach family.

What happens if a body is not claimed?

After a set time, which varies by county and state, the county usually arranges burial or cremation. Contact the medical examiner quickly if you think a relative may be unclaimed.

How do I claim a family member's body?

Call the medical examiner or coroner holding them, show that you are next of kin with ID and documents they ask for, then arrange with a funeral home, which usually handles the release.

More help for families

Crime Solvers Central is an independent, volunteer-run case research and advocacy site, not a law enforcement agency. In an emergency call 911. Questions? Contact us.