State-run pauper burials leave homeless families in the dark about loved ones' graves
A New South Wales investigation uncovered that Roger Davies and other homeless people were interred in unmarked communal graves without their families being notified.
In 2015 Roger Davies, a homeless man whose remains were discovered in an abandoned Sydney house, was laid to rest in a communal pauper’s grave at Rookwood Cemetery with four other unknown individuals. Police and health officials did not notify his sister, Chantel Dubsky, of his death or burial, even though DNA testing confirmed his identity and they possessed his family’s details. Davies’ sister learned of his fate only after a recent investigation located his burial record.
One outlet’s three-month probe revealed that at least 18 homeless clients have been buried in unmarked graves in New South Wales since 2016, with service providers saying they were never informed of the practice. NSW police said outdated contact information delayed family notification, while NSW Health now oversees destitute burials. The report contrasts NSW’s approach with Victoria’s use of DNA and forensic genealogy to locate relatives and avoid unmarked interments.
Why it matters
It shows systemic failures in how authorities handle the deaths of homeless people, denying families basic dignity and closure.
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