Faith leaders will preside over the burial of 1,495 indigent/unclaimed dead in a single mass grave at the L.A. County Crematory and Cemetery in Boyle Heights on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

The annual interfaith remembrance ceremony organized by the L.A. County Office of Decedent Affairs includes prayers, song, and rituals from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions.

The public is also invited to pay their respects.

All decedents to be buried this year died in 2014. There is a three-year gap between year of death and burial to allow time for family members and loved ones to claim cremains.

The county of Los Angeles has conducted burials of the indigent/unclaimed dead since 1896.

The L.A. County Crematory and Cemetery is located at 3301 East 1st Street, Los Angeles 90063 (corner of 1st and Lorena Streets, adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery).

Indigent Burial Fact Sheet
* The cremains of 1,495 individuals will be buried this year (2017). The year of death for all decedents was 2014; there is a three year wait between year of death and burial to allow family members to come forward to claim cremated remains before burial;

* A non-denominational, interfaith burial ceremony is held annually in December at the L.A. County Crematory/Cemetery in Boyle Heights at the corner of 1st and Lorena Streets;

* A couple of days before the ceremony, ashes are placed in a single mass grave. A marker indicating the year of cremation – for example, “2014,” is placed atop the plot;

* The cost of cremation can be waived for families facing financial hardship; the Office of Decedent Affairs works with families to facilitate cremains retrieval prior to burial.

* Number of buried cremains in 2017 compared with previous years:

Yr. of death 2006: 1,798 cremains buried in 2009
Yr. of death 2007: 1,689 cremains buried in 2010
Yr. of death 2008: 1,639 cremains buried in 2011
Yr. of death 2009: 1,656 cremains buried in 2012
Yr. of death 2010: 1,464 cremains buried in 2013
Yr. of death 2011: 1,489 cremains buried in 2014
Yr. of death 2012: 1,379 cremains buried in 2015
Yr. of death 2013: 1,430 cremains buried in 2016

* The Office of Decedent Affairs handles cremation and burial for indigent/unclaimed individuals who die within County jurisdiction. These individuals may be homeless or have no next of kin;

* Family members can search for deceased loved ones through an online database on the LA Times website (www.latimes.com) or contact the L.A. County Office of Decedent Affairs/Morgue [Estela Inouye, 323-409-7161, einouye@dhs.lacounty.gov] or the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office (323-343-0512) for unidentified/unclaimed individuals under Coroner’s jurisdiction.