State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Rhode-island > Title-23 > Chapter-23-18-1 > 23-18-1-1SECTION 23-18.1-1
§ 23-18.1-1 Public expense burials. –Unless the office of the state medical examiners has established itsjurisdiction over the body of a deceased person in accordance with chapter 4 ofthis title, whoever has custody of the body of a deceased person required to beburied at public expense shall use reasonable efforts to ascertain if thedeceased person has any relative or friend who will assume responsibility forburial at his or her expense. If no such person is found within twenty-four(24) hours after death, the person having custody of the dead body shall notifythe director of the department of human services or his or her designee whoshall arrange for the removal of the unclaimed body. If the body is not claimedat or before the expiration of thirty (30) hours thereafter, the director ofthe department of human services or his or her designee shall give publicnotice of its finding and a description of the unclaimed body, and within areasonable time thereafter cause the body to be decently buried; and if thedirector certifies that he or she has made careful inquiry and that to the bestof his or her knowledge and belief the person found dead is a stranger havingno settlement in any city or town of the state, the actual expense of burialshall be paid from the general treasury upon proper vouchers for the burialapproved by the director of human services in accordance with provisions ofthis section. To the extent that the department of human services makes paymentof the burial expenses, it shall have the right to recover the burial expensesfrom the estate of the deceased person.
