State Health Department: Speak Up Or We Cremate A Deceased Loved One

The state of Michigan has the power to have a dead body cremated without permission from family members if the appropriate person cannot be contacted within 24 hours, or if no family member has made arrangements within 48 hours of a relative’s death.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued the order in May in light of the deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The dead body cannot be cremated if the death occurred under suspicious circumstances or resulted from criminal activity; in these cases cremation must be approved by the medical examiner.