December 14, 2023
Contact: media@dhs.lacounty.gov

Heartfelt Commemoration of LA County’s Unclaimed Dead

LA County Leaders, Clergy and Community Joined Non-Denomination Ceremony; Laying to Rest the Unclaimed Dead, Including Those who are Indigent and/or Have no Next of Kin

Today, the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, in partnership with the Department of Health Services, Office of Decedent Affairs, and Los Angeles General Medical Center Chaplains, held a poignant non-denominational interfaith burial ceremony at the venerable Los Angeles County Cemetery. The event, dedicated to remembering and honoring LA County’s Unclaimed Dead, saw the respectful burial of 1,937 decedents in a single communal grave.

The Ceremony of the Unclaimed Dead, held the morning of December 14, 2023, provided a compassionate opportunity for the community to pay respects to individuals who passed away in 2020, during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Local faith leaders presided over the ceremony, which included the Lord’s prayer in various languages, representing multiple religions.

The event, open to the public, welcomed 75 in-person attendees to preserve the sanctity of the burial grounds, alongside dignitaries, religious leaders, and media representatives. The County of Los Angeles extends gratitude to those who participated in person and virtually, as the ceremony was LIVE Streamed to allow the broader community to remotely pay their respects to the unclaimed deceased individuals.

Press Kit: For comprehensive coverage of the Ceremony of the Unclaimed Dead, including interviews and footage from the event, please access our press kit here: Press Kit Link. The press kit provides a detailed overview of the ceremony and serves as a resource for media representatives seeking interviews, B-roll of ceremony.