Come for your dead - Funeral home seeking relatives of 16 deceased to claim bodies

L.P. Martin Funeral Home is appealing to relatives of 16 deceased persons to come forward to claim them so that they can receive the funerals they deserve.

The home, which is based in St Mary but also has locations in Portland and St Ann, recently placed an advertisement calling for families to claim the bodies of their deceased relatives. Chairman of L.P. Martin, Zachary Irwin, said that annually, the home has to lay to rest between five and eight deceased whose bodies go unclaimed, trying to give each one a proper farewell. But currently, the funeral home is dealing with double its normal amount.

"Regardless of how many bodies go unclaimed, we still pay for individual funerals. We hand-make a casket for each person, hire a pastor, and hold a service. Even if it's just our staff attending, we ensure that every individual gets a proper send-off," he explained. He also told THE STAR that there are many reasons why bodies go unclaimed.

"Some families simply cannot afford the cost of a funeral, while others have lost touch with their relatives, or sometimes the deceased fail to list a next of kin when they are hospitalised," he said, adding that L.P. Martin Funeral Home has stepped up countless times to provide free burials as an act of humanitarian service.

"We try and do our best to ensure that everyone gets a final resting place. Regardless of what life they lived, we treat everyone as human beings," he added. The funeral home was established in 1973, founded by Irwin's grandfather, Leonard Percival Martin. It has remained a family operation for more than 50 years.

If no one comes forward to claim the 16 bodies currently in storage, Irwin assured there will be a funeral service for each one, as soon as the burial orders are acquired.

"Once we've presented as we have now, and made every effort to reach out to next of kin, we are able to receive burial orders from either the hospital where they passed or from the local police department," Irwin explained, adding that although the usual timeline for holding unclaimed bodies is around two months, they have kept these bodies for several months in the hope that the relatives will step forward.

In the past, public announcements and appeals like the latest one have played a crucial role in getting relatives to claim their deceased loved ones, and Irwin hopes this effort will be just as successful. He explained that often it is community members who recognise the names and step forward with information, helping the funeral home to reach the relatives of the deceased.