Nepali DV Lottery Winner Who Lived with Polio and Fought Illness Died Alone in NYC—Body Unclaimed in Morgue for 8 Months; NYPD Has No Record, Cause of Death Still Unknown

The body of a Nepali man, Dhan Bahadur Thakuri, was found in New York on February 8th and remained unclaimed for the past eight months.

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), a U.S. government resource, his body was discovered on 35th Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue in New York City. Although the body was found in February, his identity was not confirmed until May 17th.

Thakuri, also known as Prashant Thakuri, had been missing for several months. Gautam Dhakal, the treasurer of the NRNA New York Chapter, informed NepYork that Thakuri’s name was located in the national missing persons system during their search efforts. Dhakal also noted that he and Thakuri had lived in the same apartment for a few months approximately four years ago.

The primary reason the body has not been formally claimed is that Thakuri’s immediate family members are not in the United States. Government authorities have indicated they informed the family of his death. His wife is in Nepal, and family members are currently in the process of obtaining U.S. visas to travel to New York.

Thakuri, a 41-year-old native of Damak, Jhapa, came to the U.S. in 2014 through the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery. He had a disability due to polio and was also suffering from additional illnesses recently. However, the official cause of his death has not been disclosed.

Due to the body remaining unclaimed for eight months, storage fees exceeding $8,000 (calculated at $1,000 per month) have accrued, according to Gautam Dhakal. Community members are now planning to raise funds to cover both these storage fees and the expenses for his funeral.

The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) only recently contacted the Nepali Consulate General in New York about Thakuri’s body on Monday. The OCME stated that their attempts to contact the next of kin were unsuccessful and requested assistance from the Consulate General in locating close relatives.

Chakra Kumar Subedi, the Deputy Consul General and spokesperson for the Nepali Consulate General, told NepYork that with the help of the Nepali community in the U.S., they were able to contact the family in Nepal. Subedi explained that checking details from a past Nepali passport application submitted by Thakuri at the Consulate helped verify his identity and locate his address, facilitating contact with his family.

The Consulate, with assistance from individuals including Prasanna Sangraula, Treasurer of the Jhapali Society, successfully contacted Thakuri’s wife, siblings, and other family members, officially notifying them of the death. The Consulate General has since advised the family that, with official verification complete, they must now decide whether to repatriate the body for a funeral in Nepal or proceed with a funeral in the U.S. Furthermore, because his wife must provide written consent for the body to be claimed, the Consulate has provided guidance to the family regarding the consent letter process.

The OCME declined to comment on why it took so long to identify the family and contact the Consulate. They also told NepYork that the cause of death remains unconfirmed and is under investigation, adding they have no further details on the matter.

Adding to the confusion, the New York Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information’s office stated that this incident is not in their records. The police claimed they found no record of a body with that name being discovered on February 8th, the date listed in the NamUs system.

The family in Nepal, who only recently learned of the tragedy, reported that they have not been given detailed information about the cause of death. Raju Thakuri, the deceased’s elder brother, said Dhan Bahadur Thakuri had also been suffering from tuberculosis recently.

A family source disclosed that Dhan Bahadur had formally married a woman in Nepal with whom he had been in a relationship for 18 years during a recent trip to Nepal. His brother also shared with NepYork that Dhan Bahadur had told him he was chased by a group and was injured while trying to escape some time ago.

Maryland State Delegate Harry Bhandari stated that his office was recently informed of this heartbreaking situation. He said: “My office was recently made aware of this heartbreaking situation, which reminds us how important it is for our community to stay connected and support one another—especially during times of loss and isolation. When a Nepali living abroad passes away without family nearby, it’s not just an individual tragedy; it’s a collective call for compassion and unity.”

Bhandari, who has a history of assisting with the management and cremation of hundreds of deceased Nepalis in the U.S., pledged that his office would do its utmost to assist, aiming to bring peace to the deceased and comfort to the family. “My office is committed to assisting in any way possible to bring peace to the deceased and comfort to the family. We must continue strengthening our networks so that no one’s final journey ends in silence,” he said.