Idaho’s biggest county running out of morgue space

BOISE, Idaho – The morgue in Idaho’s biggest county is running out of space to hold bodies.

The Idaho Statesman reports the Ada County Coroner’s office is at capacity with 15 to 18 bodies most days, some of them stored on cots and smaller folding tables until the remains are released to area funeral homes. Sometimes the coroner’s office is forced to put two bodies on one table until more space opens up.

Ada County Coroner Dotti Owens says last year the office took in 727 bodies – marking a 74 percent increase compared to seven years ago. She says the problem will only worsen as Idaho’s population continues to grow.

Owns says along with population growth, drug overdoses, suicides and an increasing number of unclaimed bodies are contributing to the crowding.