More people are dying alone in Manitowoc County.
County Corner Curtis Green says when he first started, you might get a couple a year.
This year, there have been thirteen indigent deaths, meaning people who’ve died without immediate next of kin, and 23 total last year.
With the resources the county has, Green says only a second cousin is found, and that’s pushing the limit of next of kin.
Sometimes, there just isn’t anyone around to bury the person.
“They are the last in that they have no brothers or sisters they are aware of,” Green explained. “They come from a very small family. Mom and dad may have been single children, so they don’t have any aunts or uncles, cousins, anything like that.”
Green says he’s not sure what the reason is for the rise in indigent deaths, but it’s something that coroners will have to keep an eye on in the future.
