Law enforcement agencies aren’t the only ones interested in fingerprints. But if not for identity purposes or required by state law, why would anyone want a fingerprint of their loved one?
Are funeral homes required to take fingerprints? If it isn’t required by law to take fingerprints of the deceased, why do it?
Let’s talk about fingerprints and why they may or may not be taken — and why anyone would want a copy of a fingerprint anyway.
Do Funeral Homes Keep Fingerprints on File?
Yes. If the funeral home takes a copy of the fingerprint—and not all do—it will be in your loved one’s file and/or saved digitally.
You can call the funeral home months or years down the road and they should be able to produce a copy of it for you.
How to Obtain Fingerprints of a Deceased Loved One
Perhaps you, as a family member of the departed, decide you would like your loved one’s fingerprints prior to burial or cremation.
The easiest way is to ask the funeral director to obtain a fingerprint for you. It is a simple procedure completed in a matter of minutes:
- The director will use a fingerprint kit with fingerprint cards or a fingerprint scanner. If they use the ink kit, your loved one’s thumb will be placed on the ink pad to get it coated.
- Then the thumb will be placed on the fingerprint card and rolled. This process creates a very good print. If the print isn’t clear, the process can be repeated.
Most funeral homes will also take an electronic print. This is faster and cleaner than using the ink print kit. Once the print has been taken it will be transferred to a database, where the file will be stored forever.
Here are some other ways to find fingerprints of your loved one. Consider checking:
Urns Made in the USA
- Your loved one’s old passports or driver’s licenses
- The police department, mainly if they had any criminal history or even just visited on a tour
- Any private or government agency that requires a background check may include fingerprinting
- Immigration and border control
- Security clearance agencies
- Adoption agencies
- Banks and other financial institutions
How Funeral Homes Identify Your Loved One
When the funeral home arrives to take a deceased person into their care, they verify the identity with the hospital staff or family members.
Upon verification, the transfer team will place an ankle or wristband with the name and date of death on the decedent. This identification is always kept with your loved one.
If the decedent is a John Doe, they will end up at the county coroner’s office. It will be up to the coroner’s office to have the body identified.
Often, fingerprints will come into play at this point, as will dog tags, tattoos, dental records, and other forms of ID.
Under normal circumstances, fingerprints are not a part of the identification process for the funeral home. However, it is becoming a standard practice for funeral homes to include fingerprinting services. Typically there will be a written release that the family signs to give permission.
If the time has passed since the funeral arrangements and you don’t recall if fingerprints were taken, just call up the funeral home and ask.
How Long Do Funeral Homes Keep Fingerprints?
Funeral homes will typically keep records for as long as the company is in operation. And those records may include fingerprints.
In other words, a funeral home will keep records of the fingerprints indefinitely.
Other Places
Crematoriums. Like funeral homes, some crematoriums take fingerprints and keep them on file, some do not. You’ll need to ask.
Autopsy reports. Fingerprints may be taken at the time of autopsy if the police are performing an investigation. You’ll need to contact the medical examiner’s office.
Death certificates? Certified copies of a death certificate do not have fingerprints on them.
Paw prints at pet crematoriums, cemeteries, and funeral homes. If you would like a paw print from your deceased pet, ask the veterinarian, crematorium, or pet funeral home to take prints. There is no standardized practice among pet funeral providers; some do, some do not.
Memorials Made from a Loved One’s Fingerprints
There are so many wonderful options of memorials or mementos that can be created with a loved one’s fingerprints.
- Fingerprint Jewelry. Pendants, charms, rings, bracelets, keychains, and more can be decorated with a loved one’s fingerprint. You can even get cremation jewelry that holds a small amount of cremated remains.
- Memory Glass Touchstone Keepsakes. Touchstones are unique, small glass memorials that fit perfectly in the palm of your hand. You can have your loved one’s fingerprint embedded on the stone along with a small amount of cremated remains (if you would like).
- Tattoo. Have your loved one’s fingerprint tattooed onto yourself.
- Memory Book. Many families like to include their loved one’s prints in a scrapbook or memory book.
Remember: It’s not a law that funeral homes or crematoriums take fingerprints. If you want to have them taken, make sure to have your wishes known.
Read Next: Create a Free Memorial Website to Honor Your Loved One
