Chelan County to hold graveside service for 57 unclaimed remains

WENATCHEE — The Chelan County Coroner’s Office will hold a public graveside service for unclaimed cremated remains of people currently in the care of the office on Sept. 2.

“It would be wonderful to see the community gather to show its respects for people in our unclaimed cremated remains program as they are laid in their final resting place,” Chelan County Coroner Earl Crowe said. “These people may not have had anybody with them at the time of their death. We can be there for them now.”

The short ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. at the Evergreen Memorial Park and Mausoleum, 1301 10th Street NE in East Wenatchee. Community members, local officials, faith leaders and service organizations are invited to attend.

The service will be the first community graveside service that the Coroner’s Office is coordinating in partnership with Evergreen Memorial Park & Mausoleum, which has donated a community crypt for the remains of the 57 decedents.

All of the decedents honored in the community service have been identified by the Coroner’s Office. However, for a variety of reasons, a next-of-kin may not have been found, or the family may not have wanted to take ownership of the remains. According to the county, this could be due to family estrangement, having no next of kin, being indigent or unhoused, or having come from outside of the area and passing in the county.

“Our office treats everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of their family or housing status,” Chief Deputy Coroner Faye Fetters said. 

David Hardwick, an elder at Saddlerock Church, will officiate the graveside service. Afterward, Evergreen Cemetery will reopen the crypt on an annually scheduled date for any family members coming forward to claim the cremated remains.

“Evergreen Memorial Park is proud to partner with the Coroner’s Office in giving these people left behind by unfortunate circumstances a dignified place of rest,” said Kevin Precht, funeral director and owner of the memorial park.

When a body is under the care of the Coroner’s Office, the office first contacts an identified next-of-kin about claiming the remains. If they decline, the office will ask if other family members are interested.

If next-of-kin cannot be identified, the office will try numerous ways to locate a family member. According to the county, the office may use social media and online search engines to reach out to friends or an employer. They may even look through medical records to see if hospital personnel recorded the name of someone at the person’s bedside. The office will turn unclaimed remains over to a friend of the deceased if a family member formally signs the required paperwork.

The body is held for 45 days; if it is still unclaimed after that period, Crowe can sign a cremation authorization. However, the search remains open. The office will list any known information and photos on a free, online searchable database called the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs. 

Finding a home for unclaimed remains is toiling, and something that Crowe has worked on for the past 13 years, according to the county. Fetters made another attempt at finding the next-of-kin for the 57 remains this year. Fo both Fetters and Crowe, researching and planning the first-time event was an opportunity to better understand the deceased persons.

“I think it’s important that somebody cares,” Fetters said. “In some cases, where the family wasn’t able to claim the remains – for whatever reason – people said to me, ‘I’ve been wondering what’s happened to so-and-so for 20, 30 years.’ Providing that closure is nice.”

Moving forward, the Coroner’s Office hopes to hold the service annually.

Questions about the graveside ceremony or those who may be a relative of one of the deceased may contact the Chelan County Coroner’s Office at 509-667-6491 or coroner@co.chelan.wa.us.