ROCKINGHAM — The Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution this past week regarding the management, claiming and disposition of 53 unclaimed human remains currently in the possession of the Richmond County Department of Social Services.
According to Department of Social Services Director Theressa Smith, state law requires the county to assume responsibility for unclaimed remains after 10 days.
“The county is legally responsible for doing that— which includes some financial expenses that go along with that.”
The bodies are cremated and stored for a “period of time.”
Smith said DSS worked with Register of Deeds Kimberly Roberts on the resolution.
“They have, a lot of times, people have not claimed the body, but that will come and ask for a death certificate so that they can apply for financial benefits that may be available,” explained Smith. “And so this resolution would make it mandatory that they pay any fees that are owed to the county before they can receive that death certificate.”
Smith said individuals would not be required to claim the body, but they would need to reimburse the county for cremation costs, which currently total about $700 per unclaimed body.
The resolution states that immediate family members — including a surviving spouse, registered domestic partner, natural or adoptive children, parents and legal guardians — hold the exclusive right to claim the remains for one year. Siblings may claim the remains if none of the previously listed individuals are available or willing to act.
Any immediate family member seeking to claim remains during the primary claiming period must provide valid government-issued photo identification and documentation verifying their relationship to the deceased, such as a birth certificate, marriage license or court order of adoption or guardianship.
“DSS reserves the right to request additional verification to prevent fraudulent claims,” reads the resolution.
The secondary claiming period extends from day 366 through day 730 and applies to “any responsible party willing to assume financial and logistical responsibility for final disposition.” That could include extended family members, friends, associates, representatives of veterans organizations for eligible veterans, or community groups.
To verify secondary claimants, the resolution states that “individuals claiming under the secondary period must provide identification and may be required to submit an affidavit or other compelling evidence demonstrating their connection to the decedent and their commitment to arranging proper disposition. DSS shall assess these claims on a case-by-case basis to ensure good faith.”
According to the resolution, a nonrefundable administrative and custodial fee applies to the release of unclaimed remains during the primary or secondary claiming period. The fee is intended to help cover cremation-related costs incurred by DSS.
The claiming fee does not include third-party expenses related to final disposition, including funeral home services, cremation, burial, cemetery plots or urns. Claimants are responsible for arranging and paying for those services.
DSS may establish a formal payment plan for individuals experiencing financial hardship. Payment plans must be initiated through the DSS office.
Payments for claiming fees must be made directly to DSS by certified check, money order or electronic funds transfer. Cash payments may be accepted with an official receipt.
If the remains are not claimed by the 731st day, DSS is “authorized to arrange for a dignified, direct disposition. This will be typically burial facilitated by contracted services, with the cremated remains (cremains) being held for a period at the discretion of DSS, before being subject to lawful scattering or interment in a county or potter’s field.”
“The State, acting through DSS, is declared the legal custodian and owner of all unclaimed human remains in its possession,” reads the resolution. “This ownership is custodial in nature and carries the responsibility for secure and respectful storage until the remains are lawfully claimed and released.”
If an individual paying fees under a payment plan fails to continue payments, DSS regains control of the remains under the terms outlined in the resolution.
“Any funds paid prior to default will be considered forfeited as a custodial fee, and the remains will revert to “unclaimed” status,” reads the resolution.
Smith said the county does not currently have a potter’s field available for the disposition of unclaimed remains. She said DSS has discussed options with funeral homes and cemeteries, which could result in additional county expenses to provide a final resting place for the cremated remains.
Chairman Jeff Smart asked Smith how surrounding counties handle unclaimed remains.
“Sort of the same thing. Some places, there’s restrictions on how you can scatter,” Smith said. “We’ve had different times where we’ve had like a potter’s field where we’ve been able to scatter, you have to stay away from water. There’s a lot of restrictions that go into it, so we’re always reaching out to the community,” noting that DSS is seeking donations of unused burial plots, fields or graves for the disposition of unclaimed remains.
Patsy Wilson 11-29-2025 03-08-1948 Unknown
Roxanne Louise Shrewbury 12-26-2025 10-09-1950 Unknown
Colleen Jean Curtis 08-18-2024 11-20-1948 Onondaga, NY
Robert Thomas Ingram 09-21-2022 09-08-1954 NC
David Wayne Taylor 12-18-2019 09-26-1964 Richmond, NC
Katharine Hudgins 08-16-2023 07-11-1957 Unknown
Terry L. Webster 03-24-2020 04-10-1948 Unknown
Lester Jacobs 07-23-2019 05-19-1936 Unknown
Archie Floyd Sturkie 04-09-2023 01-27-1936 Unknown
Michael Leroy Hendrick 05-02-2020 6-24-1941 Unknown
Katherine Robinson 10-14-2020 08-29-1971 Unknown, GA
Christopher Lee Goins 12-25-2023 05-21-1969 Unknown
James Arthur McAuley 05-25-2019 05-30-1945 Unknown
Joe Dennis Hampton 03-11-2022 11-23-1947 Unknown
Martha McCallum 12-10-2024 05-12-1939 Scotland, NC
Lisa Renee Barbare 05-06-2020 01-31-1963 Richmond, NC
Eddie Dean Malloy 12-11-2022 04-12-1962 Richmond, NC
Charles Wayne Foster 02-27-2022 05-28-1951 Unknown
Thomas Hubert Shepherd 11-17-2023 04-07-1940 Unknown
Leslie Alexandra Morris Corcoran 04-26-2024 12-31-1970 Juneau City and Borough, AK
Daisy Wilson 10-12-2023 05-09-1928 Unknown
Kenneth Jarrell 06-11-2023 07-29-1968 Unknown
James E. Barrett 09-03-2021 04-27-1945 Unknown
Rondal Hyde 05-31-2022 07-31-1949 Unknown, NC
Jesse Smetzer 09-19-2025 01-31-1965 Unknown
Claude Steven Martin 09-28-2024 07-20-1961 Mecklenburg, NC
Robert Herbert Heaton, JR. 07-05-2024 11-08-1956 Richmond, NC
Donna Coleman 09-14-2024 04-17-1968 Unknown
Walter Gibson 05-10-2023 01-29-1956 Unknown
William David Scott 05-12-2024 10-11-1959 Unknown
Richard Carl Massey 11-08-2024 03-23-1958 Unknown
Chris Anthony Goins 06-27-2025 02-09-1974 Scotland, NC
Elinor Arlene Dunlap Hawkins 10-24-2020 05-03-1931 Providence, RI
Beatrice Walton McNair 02-04-2025 12-27-1938 Unknown
Tammy McCrimmon 11-29-2022 03-15-1961 Unknown
Ginger Clark Ammerman 11-11-2024 11-13-1959 Unknown
Jeffrey Dawkins 11-11-2024 085-22-1965 Richmond, NC
William Donald Barber 01-07-2023 03-08-1961 Unknown
Wayne Foddrell 06-16-2025 08-20-1953 Unknown
Jessica Hill 12-03-2021 04-16-1984 Philadelphia Co, PA
Joseph Tucker Norton 01-24-2026 11-11-1961 Unknown
Irving Lintz 04-11-2026 07-20-1956 Unknown
Lenelda Gail Markus 10-03-2019 12-14-1949 Unknown
Harold Eugene Jones 06-05-2022 12-11-1953 Jefferson, NY
Dorsey Junior Bartlett 06-16-2023 06-06-1966 Unknown
John Riley 03-20-2021 06-30-1961 Unknown
Harold Mickens 03-23-2020 11-30-1949 Unknown
Boyd Bostick 01-26-2023 02-10-1958 Unknown
Luann Kountz 01-27-2023 02-02-1956 Unknown
Sharon Eubanks 02-28-2021 11-17-1952 Unknown
Patricia Scott Carpenter 02-17-2023 12-25-1954 Unknown
Clara Willie Minter 07-31-2020 04-11-1931 Unknown
Joseph Wantor 11-21-2025 11-07-1958 Unknown