Tarrant County in Texas has adopted a new policy pertaining to the care and disposition of unclaimed bodies after a nationwide scrutiny into its earlier practice of donating unclaimed bodies to a university program. The policy was unanimously voted in on October 15, in response to Texas law stipulating that the county commissioners court is entrusted with caring for bodies of people lacking sufficient funds for funeral arrangements.
This major change in policy comes nearly a month after a decision to cease the program which involved the donating of unclaimed and indigent bodies to the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. The previous collaborative program with the Health Science Center chose to suspend its operation on September 13. This followed an investigation by NBC News which discovered that the county and Health Science Center officials had not been making adequate attempts to communicate with family members before regarding a body unclaimed and then using it for medical research and training.
NBC’s probe managed to identify 12 instances where families were informed weeks, months, or even years later that their relative’s remains had been given to the UNT Health Science Center. Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare and Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons gratefully acknowledged the efforts of county staff in formulating the new policy during the absence of Precinct 4 Commissioner Manny Ramirez.
The fresh five-page policy stipulates that a body is to be considered unclaimed following a thorough assessment revealing that the individuals’ estate lacks funds for final arrangements, the closest living relative can’t afford to pay or their identities are unknown. Additionally, if the next-of-kin is unable to secure funeral arrangement with funeral homes even after providing at least three quotes, bodies will be similarly classified.
As per the new approach, unclaimed bodies will be cremated unless the identity of the deceased is unknown; cremation is explicitly forbidden by the deceased’s will; written objection is tendered by next-of-kin after 10 days from death; or the deceased is a decorated military veteran. In any of these circumstances, the unclaimed body will be accorded a county burial which includes transportation to a funeral home and cemetery, refrigeration, caskets, grave excavation, burial, and closure of the grave. However, this will not incorporate a viewing, funeral services, flowers, an officiant, or transportation for the next-of-kin.
The adoption of this new policy comes with a projected cost to Tarrant County of $675,000, with the county prepared to request additional funds if required. The policy implementation will be performed by the county’s department of human services which is already responsible for rendering social services and financial assistance to individuals and families. They will ensure no county cremation or burial occurs earlier than 11 days post date of death and not without prior written authorization, ensuring all proceedings are conducted with utmost solemnity and respect for the deceased and next-of-kin as underlined in the new policy guidelines.
Prior to collaborating with the Health Science Center, Tarrant County was already responsible for the disposition of unclaimed bodies, spending approximately half a million dollars every year on burials and cremations. Between 2019 to 2024, the responsibilities of transporting bodies, filing death certificates, notifying Social Security, and the final cremation fell to the Health Science Center, which saw a vast influx of bodies into its program after collaboration with local counties. This led to management and oversight issues, with the university earning about $2.5 million annually from outside groups through its Willed Body Program.
The university’s program first fell under suspicion in 2021 when the ethics of conducting research on unclaimed bodies of the poor without obtaining consent, was questioned. This led to public and official outcry demanding that no body should be used for medical research without pre-death consent from the deceased or from a loved one and importantly, no body should be sold for profit without consent. To remedy this, every effort is being made to ensure no unclaimed bodies continue to be used in any programs.
