Mausoleum planned to be final resting place for unclaimed remains in Montour County

May 5—DANVILLE — As the number of unclaimed deceased individuals left at the Montour County Coroner's Office continues to rise, the coroner and a ministerial association are working together to determine a final resting place for them.

Montour County Coroner Scott Lynn, who also serves as county commissioner, said his office is continually faced with cases in which remains are unclaimed and left in the county's possession.

"When I started, one or two a year was a lot," said Lynn, who was first elected coroner in 1991.

The office has had four of these cases in the past month, with two just last week, Lynn said. There are around 90 unclaimed persons being held in the coroner's office, he said.

Greg Molter, Montour County official and pastor at St. Paul's-Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Danville, said this news was distressing for him to hear.

"I think it's disrespectful that they do not have a place to rest," Molter said.

The county plans to move forward with building a mausoleum on a plot of provided land at Odd Fellows Cemetery where the bodies will be laid to rest, according to Molter.

The land will remain under the ownership of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, but will be under the control of the Montour County Coroner's Office, Lynn said.

The structure will be small enough that going through the process of getting building permits will not be necessary, the pastor said.

The idea of a mausoleum to store unclaimed persons is not unique to Montour County. According to Lynn, Lycoming County has a similar structure.

On Tuesday, Montour County commissioners approved the project after reviewing a letter of support from the Danville Riverside Area Ministerial Association.

The next step will be to contact Columbia-Montour Area Vocational Technical School or Penn College to propose student construction, Molter said.