Officials with Ada County are honoring the lives of the 58 individuals whose remains have gone unclaimed from the coroner's office over the past two decades.
The Ada County Coroner's Office has been working on the project for roughly eight months, working diligently to reconnect the remaining individuals with loved ones. Through their efforts, the ashes of six individuals were reunited with family members, and ten others who were discovered to be veterans have found a resting place at the Idaho Veteran's Cemetery.
However, 58 individuals remained unclaimed, leading them to a partnership with Cloverdale Funeral Home in Boise, who donated a crypt for the cremated remains.
"It's comes down to dignity," said, Jaimie Barker, investigator for the Ada County Coroner's Office. "As a society, it's our responsibility to care about the dead. Yes, some might have been homeless or in the Ada County Jail, but that's not our concern. We're focused on giving them a proper resting place."
At least one individual's remains date back to 1996.
The Ada County Coroner's Office will continue to search for family members. In the meantime, the remains will be placed in a crypt at Cloverdale Funeral Home.
The county now plans to hold a memorial for unclaimed remains on a yearly basis.
Any family members of the 58 individuals resting at the Terrace Lawn Gardens may still connect with the Coroner's Office and the funeral home to claim ownership of the ashes.
