What Happens When A Loved One Dies In Another State?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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If a loved one has passed away in another state and the family wish to return their remains to a home state, there are 2 options,

transporting the body by ground transportation or shipping the body by air

. This is what is referred to as ‘domestic funeral shipping’.

How do you transport a body for a funeral?

You can’t arrange air transportation for a dead body on your own. Most airlines will transport dead bodies but you’ll

have to work with a funeral director or a specialized transport company

. The shipper must be designated as a “known shipper” by the TSA. Many funeral homes are approved as known shippers.

What do you do when a family member dies in another state?

How do I arrange an interstate repatriation? To transport a deceased person to another state, you should first choose a

reliable funeral director in the state

you are returning your loved one to. The funeral director will register the death and prepare the paperwork and details regarding the repatriation.

Can a body be transported without embalming?


Embalming is almost never required

. In California, a body must be embalmed if it is to be transported by a common carrier (California Health & Safety Code § 7355 (2018)), but the Funeral Consumers Alliance makes a good argument that this law is both unenforced and unenforceable.

Why do they cover the legs in a casket?


The person’s hair, makeup, and clothing are done so that they closely resemble what they looked while they were alive

. Usually the casket is only open from the deceased individual’s waist up, rather than the entire body. Legs may be covered with a blanket.

Can a family member Transport deceased?

It is important to note that

ONLY a known shipper can make arrangements to ship a dead body by cargo

. A family cannot deal directly with the airline. This is because regulations of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) require that only known shippers, who have been approved, can make shipment arrangements.

What to do immediately after someone dies?

  1. Get a legal pronouncement of death. …
  2. Tell friends and family. …
  3. Find out about existing funeral and burial plans. …
  4. Make funeral, burial or cremation arrangements. …
  5. Secure the property. …
  6. Provide care for pets. …
  7. Forward mail. …
  8. Notify your family member’s employer.

What do funeral homes do with the blood from dead bodies?

The blood and bodily fluids just drain down the table, into the sink, and down the drain. This goes into the sewer, like every other sink and toilet, and (usually) goes to a

water treatment plant

. … that have blood or bodily fluids on them must be thrown away into a biohazardous trash.

Can you transport a dead body yourself?

It is also

completely legal to carry a dead body in a private vehicle

. In NSW the body must be wrapped in a sheet of thick plastic, 2.4 metres by 1.5 metres, and should not be transported for more than eight hours while unrefrigerated.

How do you transport a dead body to another state?

The funeral home in your destination state will

contact your local funeral home

and coordinate to prepare your loved one for transport. In most cases, your local funeral home is required to embalm your loved one for burial before transport within 48 hours following a death.

How long can a body be kept without embalming?

A body presents little threat to public health in the first day following the death. However, after 24 hours the body will need some level of embalming. A mortuary will be able to preserve the body for

approximately a week

. Regardless of the embalming, decomposition will begin after one week.

How long can a dead body stay at home?

Between the time of death and the funeral service, most bodies remain in a funeral home

between 3 and 7 days

. However, there are a lot of tasks that need to be completed in this time frame, so it’s easy for the service to get delayed by extenuating circumstances.

Are your organs removed when you are embalmed?

In the case of an autopsy, cavity embalming typically isn’t necessary.

The pathologist removes the internal organs in order to inspect them

. … After both steps of the embalming process are complete, the body will be washed again, then dressed in the clothes it will be buried in.

Does a body get drained before cremation?

This is the process of removing the blood from the body.

It’s drained from the vessels

, while embalming composites are simultaneously pumped into the arteries.

How long does a coffin last?

If the coffin is sealed in a very wet, heavy clay ground, the body tends to last longer because the air is not getting to the deceased. If the ground is light, dry soil, decomposition is quicker. Generally speaking, a body takes

10 or 15 years

to decompose to a skeleton.

Do they break your legs to put you in a casket?

– Do undertakers break or remove the legs on a long body to fit it into a coffin?

No, never!

… Especially when legs can be bent at the knee quite naturally, or one can get a bigger coffin.

Maria Kunar
Author
Maria Kunar
Maria is a cultural enthusiast and expert on holiday traditions. With a focus on the cultural significance of celebrations, Maria has written several blogs on the history of holidays and has been featured in various cultural publications. Maria's knowledge of traditions will help you appreciate the meaning behind celebrations.