Genealogist Megan Smolenyak assists coroners and medical examiners with cases involving "unclaimed persons" - essentially "lost and found," but for people, rather than gloves and umbrellas. The response to this video prompted Megan to establish the Unclaimed Persons organization of volunteer genealogists which has subsequently helped coroners across the country with hundreds of cases.
Thousands of bodies of unclaimed persons lie in morgues and unmarked graves around the world. They aren’t missing identities, like Jane and John Does, they’re missing families. They’re called unclaimed persons.