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Christina VandePol

Category: Unclaimed

December 2, 2025December 6, 2025

Remembering Michael P. Rellahan, our local newspaperman

On November 8, 2018, while I was Chester County (PA)’s Coroner, we held a memorial ceremony, perhaps the first ever, for fifty-two unclaimed persons whose cremains had resided in the coroner’s office for years. I’ve written before about the sad issue of bodies left unclaimed, but on that day in 2018 we celebrated the lives…

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November 26, 2023March 8, 2024

Should county coroners be responsible for unclaimed bodies at nursing homes?

Should coroners be responsible for unclaimed bodies at nursing homes?

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July 20, 2023September 6, 2024

Unclaimed body donation to science

Unclaimed body donation to science was once the primary source of cadavers for medical study. Despite increasing numbers of unclaimed bodies, that’s no longer the case.

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Christina VandePol is a writer, physician, and former coroner. She has authored articles on medicolegal death investigation and its intersection with public health, medicine, and justice.

Recent Posts

  • AI in Medicolegal Death Investigation
  • Remembering Michael P. Rellahan, our local newspaperman
  • Mental Health Risks Among Death Investigators
  • Deadly falls down stairs: accident or homicide?
  • Stimulants and Hallucinogens in Death Investigation: an Update

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