Music Exec Helps Raise Money to Bury Detroit's Dead

Unclaimed dead bodies clear Detroit morgue after help from celebrities.

ByABC News
January 21, 2010, 7:45 AM

DETROIT, Feb. 5, 2010— -- For months, dozens of unclaimed bodies piled up in coolers inside the Wayne County morgue in Detroit and in a trailer parked outside.

News reports on the problem last fall became a chilling reminder of the economic hardship plaguing the city. With unemployment in Detroit close to 30 percent, many families of the dead cannot afford to pay for their loved ones to be buried or cremated.

Amid that economic backdrop, the number of piled-up, unclaimed bodies rose to 67 by October.

Former Motown Records executive Shanti Das was in her office in New York one night when she saw an article on the Internet about the unclaimed bodies.

"It really just struck a nerve with me," said Das. "My heart just went out to those families, thinking it was such a tragedy that they couldn't afford to bury their loved ones."

That night, Das decided that even though she had no experience doing non-profit work she had to help -- immediately.

The next morning, she sent out a letter to her colleagues in the music industry asking for money to help the families in Detroit bury their loved ones.

"Typically when I think of Detroit, I think 'Motown,' the city that captured our hearts with some of today's most respected artists/music of our time!" she wrote. "I am sure most of you are aware of the financial crisis that the city of Detroit is currently experiencing. I come to you today not to talk about music, but a basic human issue that is all too sad!"

With that, Das set up May WE Rest in Peace, an organization dedicated to raising money to bury the unclaimed bodies. Celebrities Kid Rock, Akon and Busta Rhymes each made contributions right away. There was a public call to action announced on the BET program "106 and Park."

Within weeks, through Das' contacts in the music industry and help from people visiting her Web site, May WE Rest in Peace had raised $3,000, enough to bury six people.

The group's money helped relieve a dire funding shortfall. The $21,000 in Wayne County funds set aside to bury unclaimed bodies dried up last June. And even though space had run out at the morgue, the county said it could not afford to appropriate more money towards burying the corpses because of a $105 million budget deficit.