About the Initiative

Origin & Purpose

The Unclaimed Lives Research Initiative was founded in response to a fundamental gap in Florida's public records infrastructure. Despite being the third most populous state in the nation, Florida lacks a centralized, statewide database tracking unclaimed human remains. Each of the state's 67 counties manages its own disposition processes independently, resulting in a fragmented landscape with no unified data, no standardized reporting, and no systematic analysis.

This initiative was established to address that gap through rigorous, independent academic research. By compiling and analyzing publicly available records from medical examiner offices, county indigent burial programs, and probate courts across Florida, we aim to create the first comprehensive dataset of unclaimed decedents in the state.

Mission

Our mission is to produce high-quality, publicly accessible research that illuminates the scope and nature of unclaimed remains in Florida. We seek to identify demographic patterns, geographic concentrations, and socioeconomic factors associated with unclaimed death — and to translate those findings into actionable recommendations for policymakers, public health officials, and community organizations.

Scope

The initiative's research scope encompasses all 67 Florida counties, with a focus on data from 2015 to the present. Our analysis examines multiple dimensions of the unclaimed remains phenomenon, including demographic characteristics, geographic distribution, temporal trends, and the intersection of social isolation with mortality outcomes.

While our initial focus is on Florida, the methodological framework we develop is designed to be replicable in other states facing similar challenges with unclaimed remains data.

Goals

The initiative pursues four primary goals: first, to compile the most comprehensive dataset of unclaimed remains in Florida to date; second, to identify and analyze the demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic patterns within that data; third, to produce peer-quality research papers and policy briefs; and fourth, to engage with stakeholders — from county administrators to nonprofit organizations — to translate research findings into meaningful policy change.