LA County Buries 1,495 In Mass Grave Today

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles County officials and interfaith leaders presided Wednesday over the burial of the cremated remains of 1,495 individuals in a mass grave.

Supervisor Janice Hahn called for a moment of silence at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting in honor of those whose bodies were unclaimed, with "no one but the county ... to grieve their loss."

Hahn noted that "some were homeless, many were poor, some were children" as she asked everyone in the county board room to "stand and honor these 1,500 L.A. County residents" later Wednesday.

Those buried at the Los Angeles County Crematory and Cemetery in Boyle Heights died in 2014. The county generally holds the cremated remains for three years before burial to allow family members and loved ones to claim remains. The ashes have already been placed in a single mass grave in advance of the ceremony and formal burial.

The interfaith remembrance included prayers, song and rituals from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions.

Family members searching for deceased loved ones can call the county Office of Decedent Affairs/Morgue at (323) 409-7161 or the Medical Examiner- Coroner's Office, (323) 343-0512. The cost of cremation can be waived for families facing financial hardship.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock