Mass Honors Nine Unclaimed Hypothermia Victims
Nine people who died from hypothermia and whose names remain unclaimed will be remembered at a Mass in Midtown Manhattan.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Catholicism
A Mass will be held Monday, November 2026, at St. Thomas Church in Midtown Manhattan for nine unidentified people who died from hypothermia during the past winter, followed by interment of their remains in an urn vault. The service is open to the public and is being held on All Souls' Day.
Why it matters
At least 18 people died from hypothermia across New York City last winter, and only half of those deaths were claimed by relatives. The memorial gives the unclaimed dead a public remembrance in a city where many people are left without family to mark their passing.
Nine unidentified people, eight men and one woman, died from hypothermia during the past winter, and their names remain unclaimed. Of the 18 citywide hypothermia deaths last winter, only half were claimed by relatives.
The players
Rhonda Shearer
Rhonda Shearer leads the nonprofit Art and Science Research Laboratory and contacted the medical examiner's office about the unclaimed bodies.
Rev. Mark Schultz
The Rev. Mark Schultz is presiding over the memorial service at St. Thomas Church in Midtown Manhattan.
The details
Rhonda Shearer of the nonprofit Art and Science Research Laboratory contacted the medical examiner's office about the unclaimed bodies and helped organize the memorial. The Rev. Mark Schultz will preside over the service, and the idea was inspired by Shearer's experiences at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Timeline
Past winter season: nine people die from hypothermia, and 18 die citywide.
Sept. 11 attacks: Shearer's Ground Zero experience inspires the memorial idea.
Monday, November 2026: Memorial Mass held at St. Thomas Church, followed by interment of the urns.
Season Trajectory
Organized memorials for unclaimed dead in New York City have followed the public-remembrance model that emerged from the Sept. 11 recovery work at Ground Zero. This Mass applies that same model to a seasonal cold-weather death toll.
New Yorkers can attend the public Mass at St. Thomas Church in Midtown on Monday to pay respects to the nine unclaimed dead. The service offers a chance to remember neighbors who died alone during the winter.
The takeaway
Unclaimed deaths often go unnoticed, and organized remembrance can give those who died alone a public place in the community. Attending or supporting services like this is one concrete way to honor them.
What happens next
The memorial Mass takes place Monday, November 2026, at St. Thomas Church, followed by interment of the urns in the urn vault.
Further reading
Explore more on Catholicism in New York City, where similar memorial traditions continue.
