Westmoreland Funeral Home Director Desperate to Dispose of Unclaimed Body

Darliston, Westmoreland – A funeral home director in Westmoreland is grappling with a five-year-old problem that refuses to go away—literally. Arthur Linton, owner of Linton’s Funeral Home in Darliston, says he is at his wits’ end after being left with an unclaimed body since June 2020, while the deceased’s family has seemingly vanished without a trace.

Linton says the prolonged storage of the body has created a significant financial and logistical burden, with the outstanding balance for funeral services ballooning to $1.2 million. Initially, the family had chosen a cremation package valued at $280,000 but paid only $80,000 before cutting off all communication with the funeral home.

“The challenges I’m having with this body is it’s occupying space, and also the family, they have an outstanding balance that they need to come up and clear so I can get rid of the body. I tell them already, if they don’t have the amount, just come up with at least $300,000 so I can get rid of the body,” Linton explained.

He lamented that he has never had a body in storage for this long, with the typical maximum period being around two months. However, with no word from the deceased’s relatives, the situation remains unresolved.

According to Linton, his last conversation with the family was two years ago. They had claimed they were awaiting financial assistance from a local councillor, but since then, they have ignored all of his attempts to reach them.

“They blocked my number. I used another phone to call, and they blocked the other number same way. They hang up the phone on me, so I can’t get no form of dialogue. When I call the number, I realise the number is temporarily out of service like they changed it,” Linton said.

His efforts to locate the family in person have also proved futile, as the address provided to the funeral home led to a dead end.

Linton has pleaded with the family to seek assistance from the government or local representatives to resolve the matter.

“All them have to do is if they can get help from the government, seek help from their councillor or someone who can help them,” he said. “Mi would buy a half-finished box, build, buy one likkle spot a May Pen, and just bury the body and call it a day.”

However, the financial burden is a major obstacle, as he has to pay another funeral home for storage.

“It is not my own storage. I have to use a particular home, and I have to pay them for the time that she has been there on the fridge,” he explained.

With no solution in sight, Linton is hoping for intervention before he is forced to take drastic measures. As time passes, his hope of finding a resolution grows dimmer, while the unclaimed body remains a lingering problem he simply cannot ignore.

Ref: Jamaica Star