The Allen County Coroner’s Office, in partnership with He Knows Your Name Ministry announce the Laying to Rest of Unclaimed and Unidentified Decedents Ceremony.
Allen County Coroner news release:
Laying to Rest of the Unclaimed and Unidentified Decedents Ceremony
Fort Wayne, Indiana (July 23, 2026) – The Allen County Coroner’s Office, in partnership with He Knows Your Name Ministry announce the Laying to Rest of Unclaimed and Unidentified Decedents Ceremony.
The Ceremony will pay tribute to individuals who have remained unclaimed at the Allen County Coroner’s Office since 1985. It will include acknowledgements, a prayer, a dove release, and a reading of their names. Community members, local officials, and representatives from the Allen County Coroner’s Office, Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Fort Wayne Pipe and Drum Brigade, Fort Wayne Police Department Chaplains, and He Knows Your Name Ministry will attend to offer support and respect.
Event Details:
- Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2026
- Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Location: Divine Mercy Funeral Home, & Catholic Cemetery, 3500 Lake Avenue, Fort Wayne, Indiana
“When individual’s remain unclaimed, even after extensive investigative attempts to contact next of kin, it becomes our responsibility to ensure they are laid to rest with care and professionalism,” said Allen County Coroner E. Jon Brandenberger, MD. “The ceremony reflects our commitment to serving every member of our community with dignity and respect, even after death.”
Since 2009, He Knows Your Name Founder Linda Znachko has provided dignity and honor in death of hundreds of individuals throughout Indiana. This will be the first time partnering with the Allen County Coroner’s Office to lay the community’s unclaimed and unidentified to rest. The upcoming ceremony will lay to rest 130 unclaimed & unidentified individuals, three being infants.
“These partnerships with the Allen County Coroner’s Office, Divine Mercy, and He Knows Your Name, is a meaningful reflection of what can happen when organizations come together around a shared belief that every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect even after death.”
Community members are invited to attend the ceremony and join in paying their respects. The event is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for reflection and community solidarity. For more information, please contact the Allen County Coroner’s Office at 260-449-7389.
E. Jon Brandenberger, MD
Allen County Coroner
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