INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County Coroner's Office and He Knows Your Name ministry will bury the remains of 171 adults who died between 2006-2019.
During a joint press conference on Friday, the organizations said the remains will be buried at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 26 at Antioch Indy Community Church and Oaklawn Memorial Gardens. The public is invited to attend.
You can view a list of unidentified and unclaimed decedents in the county online.
Marion County Chief Deputy Coroner Alfie McGinty said unclaimed remains in the county are a problem and "truly an epidemic."
“But this is not just happening here in the largest county in Indiana," McGinty said in a press release. "Individuals are dying and being left at coroners’ and medical examiners' offices across the nation. We have to fix this.”
McGinty and Linda Znachko with He Knows Your Name ministry said they believe the root causes of this are the costs and next of kin grieving.
“They never show up,” McGinty said in a press release. “They don’t have the money and just don’t know the process. If a family member says they cannot afford to take care of a loved one, we present them with resources from the township trustee. If they have to do a lot of work and are going through the grieving process, then sometimes they’ll just give up.”
Znachko said the burial event later this month is intended to "give dignity and honor" to the 171 unclaimed remains.
-
1965: Take a look around the original Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
WRTV, then WFBM, took viewers inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Musuem with host Bernie Herman in May 1965.BLOG: Severe Weather Alert for Central Indiana
On Wednesday, Central Indiana was upgraded to the moderate risk category (level 4/5 risk) for severe weather.Indiana outlines new high school diploma guidelines with key partnerships
Indiana high school students will soon have a new choice regarding their education as the state unveils a redesigned diploma program.Steel suppliers preparing for possible tariff impacts
More steel is made in Indiana than in any other state. Local suppliers are now waiting to find out how tariffs on foreign steel will affect their business.