What if someone is identified but police cannot find the family to let them know?
After police identify someone, they use various methods to attempt to find and notify the family. If family cannot be found within a few days, the body is released to a local funeral home for burial. The Maricopa County Public Fiduciary then becomes the “guardian” for the decedent. Often, the Public Fiduciary office or funeral home can pursue additional methods for finding family, such as placing an obituary in the newspaper. Feel free to call the Medical Examiner’s Office to ask us to check someone’s name in our database. You can also reach the Public Fiduciary office by calling them at (602) 506-8040.
