Groups push ‘dignity in death’ for Michigan’s unclaimed dead

As funeral costs rise, more unclaimed bodies are going unclaimed in some parts of Michigan, according to local officials
Wayne State University’s mortuary science program hosted its annual interfaith service for unclaimed people in Wayne County
It’s part of a growing movement to provide ‘dignity in death’ to those without loved ones to honor them

DETROIT — Soft light filtered through the windows of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul Detroit, where a quiet and somber crowd gathered to honor lives lost.

The dead were not friends, relatives or congregants. They were 120 people who had died in Wayne County without loved ones to claim their bodies.

The service was not heavy with grief, but grounded in dignity, as students named each dead individual in an interfaith service hosted by Wayne State University’s mortuary science program.

“As funeral directors, we believe very deeply in the value of a service,” said Mark Evely, director of the mortuary science program. “We see firsthand the healing that takes place when there’s a ceremony, and an opportunity for family and friends … to honor someone’s life.”

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The second annual service was one of several efforts across Michigan to honor the lives of those who, either because of circumstance or geography, don’t have anyone else to do so for them.

Officials say increasing funeral costs have contributed to the rise in unclaimed bodies in parts of Michigan, and the state’s aging population underscores the importance of end-of-life care.

As of 2024, the state’s death rate stands at about 10 per 1,000 people, slightly above the national average, and the birth rate trails the national rate. For the past four years, deaths in Michigan have outpaced births, adding urgency to conversations about how the state cares for its dead.

In Wayne County, as many as 200 deceased individuals go unclaimed each year. That’s where the Wayne State mortuary science program steps in.

The funeral service is organized by students, who help plan and coordinate it as an opportunity to gain experience in the field before graduating.

“Grief is universal and this is a way to not only encourage community, but to encourage healing as well,” said Victoria Edwards, a senior in the mortuary science program. “It’s really healthy and it’s a great … bridge builder.”

funeral ceremony for unclaimed dead — James Stapleton, a sophomore at Wayne State University’s Mortuary Science Program, lit a candle during a part of a ceremony recognizing those who died without a claimed next of kin. (Janelle D.James/Bridge Michigan)

For students, that belief shapes how they will approach the profession.

“It doesn’t matter who I’m serving or what walks of life they come from, they need to be treated with respect and dignity and I will treat anyone else’s family member as if I would treat my own,” said James Stapleton, a sophomore in the mortuary science program.

Death and dying

Michigan has a series of medical examiners that cover either counties or regions. Procedures for handling unclaimed individuals vary, but state law requires the offices to hold on to bodies for at least 30 days.

The WMed Medical Examiners’ Office, which serves Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Grand Traverse and Kalamazoo counties, partners with local funeral homes and honors unclaimed individuals twice each year, when they release their ashes in a garden during a ceremony.

“Unclaimed doesn’t mean unloved or unwanted,” said John Storer, chief investigator for the office. “It means that there’s nobody there to make the final arrangements for the individuals. That may be that there is no next of kin … or it may mean that they don’t have the financial resources.”

The number of unclaimed bodies in the region has significantly increased in recent years, climbing to 237 individuals in 2025, up from 10 in 2018.

Wayne State interfaith service for unclaimed dead — The second annual interfaith service reflects a broader effort across Michigan where schools, faith groups, and community organizations hold services to ensure unclaimed individuals are honored with dignity. (Janelle D.James/Bridge Michigan)

“We’re dealing with more people dying and quite frankly, funeral costs have gotten very, very expensive and so families are no longer as able to provide a funeral,” Storer said.

In Oakland County, the number of unclaimed bodies has also increased in recent years, climbing to 99 people in 2025, up from 47 in 2018.

There, if an individual has not been claimed within a year, the body is cremated and the ashes are placed in a vault at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield. On the third Friday of the month, the cemetery holds a service to honor them.

If the individual is a veteran and their ashes aren’t claimed within six months, their ashes are sent to the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly. The cemetery also holds an annual ceremony honoring unclaimed veterans.

Casimir Miarka, administrator for the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office, told Bridge Michigan that they strive to ensure that, “every individual is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their demographics.”

Dignity in death

While dozens of students, staff and community members attended Wayne State’s ceremony this year in Detroit, “we don’t do this so that we have a crowd,” said Evely, the program director.

“We want the family members and friends of these people who passed away to be there but we’re going to do the service regardless of who is there because we believe in the need for it and the value of it,” he said.

Similar initiatives include the St. Joseph of Arimathea Pallbearer Ministry, a student-led organization at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. There, students serve as pallbearers at funerals for the homeless and military veterans with no loved ones to bury them.

“There was a need that was coming to us and one of our (goals) is to bury the dead and make sure that they are buried with dignity,” said John Dawson, director of campus ministry at the high school.

“Part of our agreement is to make sure that nobody is buried alone. As there is dignity in life, there is dignity in death.”

Between six and eight upperclassmen are active in the ministry, which partners with local churches and funeral homes to offer their service when needed. But the ministry has not been called on, which Dawson says is very “fortunate.”

“It’s still an active service … and when the need arises, we will happily step up,” he said.