P.R. Laws tit. 34, § 3025a
Once the term of six (6) days as of the autopsy and investigation have elapsed and the body remains unclaimed in accordance with the provisions of § 3620 l of Title 24, any person or entity may claim it for burial or cremation, provided that the following requirements are met:
(a) The person that claims the body shall be of legal age.
(b) The person that claims the body shall submit a negative criminal record certificate to the Institute.
(c) The person or entity that claims the body must have been connected in some manner to the deceased, or the deceased must have been a member of the claiming entity.
(d) If the person who claims the body is a member of a civic or religious entity, said person must provide a formal request issued by said organization to claim the body and to prove that the deceased was a member of said entity.
(e) By means of a sworn statement, the person or entity must:
(1) Prove the motive for claiming the deceased.
(2) Prove the connection to the deceased.
(3) Describe the steps taken to locate the next of kin of the deceased or prove knowledge of their whereabouts.
(4) State the name of the institution that shall bury or cremate the deceased.
(5) The person that claims the body shall present information or documents that attest to the information that is affirmed in the sworn statement to the Institute.
Once the term to claim the body as provided by this chapter has elapsed, the Board cannot be held responsible for the release of the body to another person or entity that complies with the provisions of this section. The Board shall not be civilly liable when it releases a body pursuant to the provisions of this section, in the absence of a timely claim from a person with priority within the term provided by the law.
History —July 24, 1985, No. 13, p. 735, added as § 25-A on Nov. 30, 2006, No. 251, § 1.