The Chief Health Inspector’s Office has issued an urgent public notice regarding four unclaimed bodies at Barnes Funeral Home, giving family members a final 14-day window to make private burial arrangements before government intervention.
Chief Health Inspector (CHI) Sharon Martin emphasized the time-sensitive nature of the situation in a public statement.
“We have advertised it on radio and in the newspaper, and we kindly ask family members to please claim the bodies,” Martin said.
“According to law, if after 14 days these bodies are not claimed, we will have to proceed to have them buried.”
The deceased have been identified as Curtis Fenton and Yolanda Pigott, who both passed away on December 28, 2023; Dale Lenworth Roach, who died on May 5, 2024; and Errol Gonsalves, who passed away on December 8, 2024. All remain unclaimed at the funeral home.
Martin urged the families to take action promptly to ensure their loved ones receive proper private burials. “If you want to claim a family’s body, give them a decent funeral where they would be buried, we are asking you kindly to get in touch with Miss Jessica Barnes,” she said.
“After 14 days, it is the law that those bodies would be buried without any further notice,” Martin emphasized, highlighting the finality of the deadline. The notice specifically warns that once public burial takes place, no legal action will be possible.
The Chief Health Inspector’s Office has stressed that this matter requires immediate attention from affected families to prevent government intervention in the burial process.
The public notice serves as both a final opportunity for families to claim their deceased loved ones and a reminder of the legal obligations the government must fulfill regarding unclaimed remains.
Officials have expressed hope that affected families will come forward during this two-week window to address these sensitive matters personally.
Barnes Funeral Home, located on Lower Newgate Street, remains ready to assist families in making private burial arrangements during this period.
Families seeking to make arrangements should contact Jessica Barnes, Managing Director of Barnes Funeral Home, at 462-1037.