21 bodies lying unclaimed by relatives in Dublin mortuary 

21 bodies lying unclaimed by relatives in Dublin mortuary 

21 bodies are lying unclaimed in fridges in Dublin City Mortuary, with one there for more than a year.

More than 20 bodies are lying unclaimed in fridges in Dublin City Mortuary, with one there for more than a year.

The 21 unclaimed remains have been identified but have had to stay at the mortuary because relatives have not come to take them, according to the Department of Justice.

The longest-held has been there since late autumn 2022.

The unclaimed remains are being held in 21 of the mortuary’s 43 fridges.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice said: “The number of remains held at the mortuary will change from day to day but there is no capacity issue at the moment. It has a total capacity of 43 fridge spaces and as of January 15, the latest figures available, there were 27 remains held.

"21 of those remains are unclaimed. Naturally, long held remains can put pressure on the fridge capacity at the DDM but this is not the case at the moment.” 

The Department of Justice says each case has its own personal circumstances and a range of operational factors can impact on the timeframe for release of remains to families or arrangements for burial under the direction of a Coroner as appropriate.

Contact families

Regular meetings take place between the Coroner and the mortuary staff in relation to ongoing work with An Garda Síochána to reach family members in cases of unclaimed remains, according to the department.

However, this can take a number of months and in some instances, over a year, because of each person’s own personal situations, according to the Department of Justice.

The spokesman said that the department cannot comment on individual cases but extended its condolences to bereaved families.

He said: “The operational reality is that the majority of bodies that come into the mortuary need to be identified but in the vast majority of cases this is done very quickly. There are currently no long-term unidentified remains at Dublin District Mortuary.” 

He added: “All involved in the operations of the mortuary and its role are acutely conscious of the sensitivity to families concerned and work to ensure that the service provided is as efficient as possible to allow closure for families as soon as possible.”

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