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News 12 On Your Side: Another Unclaimed Body in Richmond County
RICHMOND COUNTY, GA-- No one has come forward to claim the body of an augusta man after he passed away ten days ago.
Edward Winter was 63 years old when he passed away last week. The coroner says he died of natural causes.
Coroner Grover Tuten says a family member did contact him about Winter's death but then was unreachable. "He left me a phone number and the phone number he left was no good," Tuten said.
Tuten says unclaimed bodies are becoming a growing problem in Richmond County. "I'd blame it on the economy," Tuten said.
According to Tuten, taxpayers spend $30,000 a year to dispose of unclaimed bodies in Richmond County. He says the law requires the legal next of kin to claim the body.
The coroner says he is forced to make difficult decisions when a family doesn't come forward. "I've already checked with a couple of schools to see if they want him," Tuten said about Winter's body.
News 12 On Your Side: Another Unclaimed Body in Richmond County
RICHMOND COUNTY, GA-- No one has come forward to claim the body of an augusta man after he passed away ten days ago.
Edward Winter was 63 years old when he passed away last week. The coroner says he died of natural causes.
Coroner Grover Tuten says a family member did contact him about Winter's death but then was unreachable. "He left me a phone number and the phone number he left was no good," Tuten said.
Tuten says unclaimed bodies are becoming a growing problem in Richmond County. "I'd blame it on the economy," Tuten said.
According to Tuten, taxpayers spend $30,000 a year to dispose of unclaimed bodies in Richmond County. He says the law requires the legal next of kin to claim the body.
The coroner says he is forced to make difficult decisions when a family doesn't come forward. "I've already checked with a couple of schools to see if they want him," Tuten said about Winter's body.