Forensics chief to funeral homes: 47 corpses ready to be picked up
By The Star Staff
Institute of Forensic Sciences (ICF by its Spanish initials) Executive Director María Conte Miller on Wednesday asked funeral parlors to pick up some 47 bodies that she has ready for delivery and that have not been claimed.
“We have 47 bodies that have already undergone an autopsy, the procedure with the authorized family member was completed and they have been approved by the agency for delivery, but they have not been claimed by the funeral agents,” Conte Miller said.
The ICF is the equivalent of a coroner’s office in the mainland U.S.
The forensic pathologist added that “we are in the process of remodeling the Autopsy Room and once the case is finished and it is ready for delivery, we cannot have them stored indefinitely here because the space for the cases we receive daily limits us.”
“The remodeling of the Autopsy Room has been carried out in an orderly manner so as not to affect our operation, but while an area is being remodeled, the storage capacity is reduced and it is not justified to have a finished case in our facilities,” she said. “For this reason, we seek the cooperation of the funeral agents so that once they are notified that the case is ready, they do not delay the process of claiming it.”
The IFC Autopsy Room entailed permanent improvements to the structure, the acquisition of 12 tables for performing autopsies with their instruments, modernization of the cleaning and disinfection equipment, remodeling of the corpse refrigeration units with temperature control alarms, among other equipment, with an investment of $4 million.