Burials of the unclaimed in the United States continue to be managed by local governments, although whether that’s the state, city or county government varies. The processes for contacting next of kin and how long to wait before burial or cremation, and then how long to hold on to the cremated remains, likewise differs from place to place.

Furthermore, local laws related to the unclaimed can be outdated or vague. For example, Pennsylvania’s sole law for taking care of the unclaimed dead dates back to 1883 and was initiated as an anatomy act to support medical dissection and stop grave robbing.