Update 6/4: Time change — The start time for today’s ceremony has been changed to 11:00 a.m. All other details remain the same.
Original post:
Every few years, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office (KCMEO) hosts a memorial to ensure that every King County resident is remembered. The KCMEO’s Indigent Remains Program provides burial for King County residents who have died without resources or family to claim their remains for a proper burial.
The next ceremony to remember these individuals will take place on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Renton (100 Blaine Ave NE). It’s open to any member of the public who wishes to pay their respects.
About the Indigent Remains Program
The Indigent Remains Program serves individuals who have died without financial means or family to arrange for their burial. The KCMEO exhausts all efforts to identify and contact next of kin. When no family can be found or when families are unable to afford burial services, the program ensures that these individuals receive a respectful cremation and burial.
KCMEO held the first Indigent Remains ceremony in 1993, and new ceremonies have been held on an as-needed basis since.
All remains are cremated, placed in individual containers, and buried in the same tomb the year prior to the ceremony. Each individual’s remains are separated and identifiable by a unique number inside the tomb. The tomb is marked with a stone plate, which includes the date of the ceremony and an inscription.
The ceremony
During the ceremony, clergy from numerous denominations read aloud the names of each individual being honored. The Indigent Remains Program collaborates with local organizations and agencies to reach out to community members who may have known the deceased, inviting them to attend the ceremony.
Honoring those who have passed
“We at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office take the responsibility of burying these decedents seriously,” explained James Sosik, Jr., Lead Investigator for KCMEO, who runs the Indigent Remains Program. “It’s our duty to make sure we uphold their dignity and that they do not pass from life forgotten.”
The names of the decedents who will be laid to rest as part of the 2025 ceremony can be found on the Indigent Remains Program webpage. Some were people living homeless at their time of death, while others had housing but did not have funds or family to cover a proper burial.
Regardless of their circumstances, the ceremony serves as a poignant reminder of our collective responsibility to honor and remember every member of our community.
For more information about the Indigent Remains Program and the upcoming ceremony, please visit the King County Medical Examiner’s Office website.
Originally published May 15, 2025.