Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
In the USA, is it possible/legal to leave your deceased next of kin in the hospital morgue and not claim the body?
Do you become financially liable for anything? Do they simply cremate unclaimed corpses and bury them in potter's fields?
Note that I do not plan on doing this, I was just wondering what the legal procedure is for unclaimed bodies of patients with living relatives who might refuse to pay funerary costs and simply leave the deceased at the hospital.
3 Answers
- ?Lv 76 years agoFavorite Answer
It happens all the time. Every state has a potter's field for unclaimed folks. This is New Yorks:
- JenWalesLv 76 years ago
No one is forced to claim a body. If the body goes unclaimed, it's just as you suggested...eventually the body is cremated and buried.
- babyboomer1001Lv 76 years ago
Having a funeral is optional. You can choose to just bury or cremate him if you want to.
Source(s): Certified Paralegal, with 25+ years' experience.
