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Greater LA

Why LA County cremated and buried 1,457 people in a mass grave

Los Angeles County held a memorial ceremony this week honoring the lives of 1,457 people who died in 2016, but whose remains were not claimed by loved ones.

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By Steve Chiotakis • Dec 5, 2019 • 1 min read

Los Angeles County held a memorial ceremony this week honoring the lives of 1,457 people who died in 2016, but whose remains were not claimed by loved ones.

The site of a mass grave at LA County Crematorium and Cemetery in Boyle Heights.

“There are many unclaimed here that are completely unknown, but there are others who may be from impoverished families…The families just can't afford the $350 to bury them,” says Nick Jordan, a staff chaplain at LA County USC Medical Center who has participated in the remembrance for the past five years.

Several wreaths stand atop a mass grave at LA County Crematorium and Cemetery in Boyle Heights.

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