Nepali Man’s Body Cremated in U.S. After Eight Months Unclaimed; Family Unable to Attend

The body of a Nepali man, previously listed as “unclaimed” in New York, has been cremated in the United States without his family present. The body of 41-year-old Dhan Bahadur Thakuri, who had been living in the U.S. for 11 years and was from Damak Municipality, Ward 8, Jhapa District, Nepal, had remained unclaimed in New York from February to October.

The cremation took place at Franklin Memorial Crematorium on Saturday, following a final farewell at Ruby Memorial Funeral in New Jersey, arranged through the efforts of the NRNA NCC New York Chapter, the Darshan Thakuri Society, and the Jhapali Society America. The final farewell was attended by some members of the Nepali community and the Consul General of Nepal in New York, Dadhiram Bhandari.

The cremation proceeded without the family members because their visas to travel to the U.S. were not approved.

According to NamUs, the U.S. government’s national system for tracking missing and unidentified persons, NepYork had reported that Dhan Bahadur Thakuri’s body was initially found in an unclaimed state. His details were listed in the system, but they removed following the claim and funeral arrangements. Dhan Bahadur was also known in New York by the name Prashant Thakuri.

The NRNA New York Chapter, Darshan Thakuri Society America, and Jhapali Society America jointly ran a GoFundMe campaign for the final rites, raising nearly $10,000. The organizations have thanked everyone who supported this humanitarian effort.

Details received by the Consulate General of Nepal in New York from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) indicate that the deceased, Thakuri, was taken to the hospital after a commuter saw him unconscious at a New York train station and contacted emergency number 911. After the hospital declared him dead, his body was sent to the OCME on February 8. At that time, his identity was unknown.

As no identifying evidence was found, the Medical Examiner’s office informed the Consulate General that they had coordinated with federal offices and other stakeholders. On the request of the OCME, who received information that the deceased was a Nepali citizen from the Social Security office, an email was sent to the Nepali Consulate General, asking for help in locating and notifying the next of kin, as their own attempts to contact close relatives had failed.

The email only contained the deceased’s name, date of birth, and Social Security number. Due to the difficulty in confirming the full details, address in Nepal, and next of kin with this limited information, the Consulate General requested additional documentation from the OCME. They then received a copy of his Green Card. By matching the Green Card and other details with the deceased’s records from the Department of Passports, his address and other information were finally confirmed.

Thakuri came to the U.S. in 2014 through the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery. According to those who knew him, he had a disability due to polio and had been suffering from additional illnesses recently. However, his cause of death has not been disclosed.

When contacted by NepYork regarding the long delay in identifying the family and contacting the Consulate General, the New York OCME declined to comment. Furthermore, the OCME informed NepYork that the cause of death has not yet been confirmed and that an investigation is ongoing. The office stated they have no further information regarding the cause of death.

The family in Nepal stated they were not given detailed information about the cause of death. According to Raju Thakuri, the deceased’s elder brother, Dhan Bahadur Thakuri had also been suffering from tuberculosis for some time. Family sources also mentioned that he had recently traveled to Nepal to formally marry the woman he had been in a relationship with for 18 years.