More than 2,300 people who died in Los Angeles County but whose bodies remain unclaimed will be laid to rest Thursday in a common grave during an interfaith ceremony in Boyle Heights that has taken place annually for well over a century.
The Ceremony to Commemorate the Unclaimed Dead will be held at 10 a.m. at the Los Angeles County Crematory and Cemetery.
Local faith leaders will preside over the ceremony, which is held by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, along with the Department of Health Services’ Office of Decedent Affairs and the Los Angeles General Medical Center Chaplains.
The people being buried — 2,308 in all, some of whom were homeless or had no next of kin who could be contacted — died in 2022.
Bodies are held for three years between the year of death and burial, to allow family members to claim cremated remains.
The Office of Decedent Affairs, which manages cremation and burial for indigent/unclaimed individuals who die within L.A. County, works with families to help with the retrieval of the remains.
“This annual ceremony is part of a commitment that the county has upheld since 1896 to ensure everyone in Los Angeles County, no matter their means, is laid to rest with respect and dignity,” County Supervisor Janice Hahn said during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting.
Hahn said she is grateful that people take time to attend the ceremony each year.
“We don’t know enough about the lives of the people we are laying to rest this week to do their memories justice,” she said.
“But we know many of them were unhoused. Some were children. Some were immigrants to this country. Many were sick. Some suffered mental illness that made their lives painful and difficult. Almost all of them were very poor. And for one reason or another, they had no loved ones to claim their bodies when they passed.”
Hahn went on to say, “I think this is one of the more special things we do as a county, and it means a lot to me to be part of it every year.”
“These individuals left this world alone and we take this responsibility seriously to honor their lives and grieve their deaths,” she added.
The ceremony, which is open to the public, will also be livestreamed at facebook.com/events/2047672479355461/.
It aims to offer people “an opportunity to pay their respects and stand in solidarity with our most vulnerable community members,” according to a county statement.
Shortly before the ceremony, ashes are placed in a single communal grave with a marker indicating the year of cremation.
The ceremony features interfaith prayers, including the Lord’s Prayer in multiple languages.
Members of the public may attend with advance registration and must present their registration ticket upon arrival.
Online registration is available here. Anyone unable to register online can call 323-409-6945 for assistance.
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