In 1975, Dr. Dean Brooks, superintendent of Oregon State Hospital, made the controversial decision to allow a Hollywood crew to film on-site at OSH. The film crew of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) observed patients receiving electroshock therapy and participating in group therapy sessions, and even spent the night in the hospital wards. Believing it would spark a vital conversation about mental illness and the abuse of power, he gave producer Michael Douglas and the cast unprecedented access as a chance for producers and actors to see what life was really like inside a psychiatric hospital. Eventually, the rest of us would see it too. For the past three episodes, Unclaimed has told stories about the patients who died at Oregon State Hospital, and whose remains were never claimed by their families. There are thousands of these cases, rediscovered inside what became known as the Room of Forgotten Souls. Listen as Michael Douglas, Dr. Dean Brooks, and others detail its legacy within the hospital’s complex history—just in time for Cuckoo’s Nest’s 50th anniversary this week.  Also, learn how the 1960s were a time of upheaval in the mental health establishment, and how radical reformers like Brooks viewed and ultimately transformed the institutions they oversaw.

Independent genealogy researcher Phyllis Zegers uncovers a startling connection among the thousands of unclaimed ashes at the old psychiatric facility Oregon State Hospital. With the help of Ancestry genealogists, the remains of a forgotten patient, Ernestine Plath, are identified as those of the paternal grandmother of famed poet Sylvia Plath, whose novel The Bell Jar chronicles a young woman’s struggle with mental illness and her commitment to a mental institution. This episode of Unclaimed dives deep into the discovery and confirmation of this hidden chapter of mental illness in an otherwise well-documented American literary family's story. We also hear from curators at the OSH Museum of Mental Health, who talk about commitment laws affecting women deemed “mentally ill” in this eraCat—how a woman could be committed by her husband or family on the grounds that she struggled with “domestic disagreement,” or “disappointment in love." So many of these cremains have yet to be researched and connected to the present day. What other discoveries are still to be made? What other stories are on the brink of being forgotten forever?

Who was responsible for the untimely death of 47 patients on one fateful day in 1942 at the Oregon State Hospital? This episode uncovers the tragic accident behind the deaths, explores the consequences of institutional neglect, and details the long search to identify the unclaimed victims and return them home.

A locked room held the ashes of over 3,000 unclaimed cremains of forgotten patients from the Oregon State Hospital. In the series premiere of "Unclaimed", volunteer genealogist Phyllis Zegers uses century-old asylum ledgers and archives to uncover their identities. Her deeply personal mission aims to restore dignity and memory to those who died in the institution and were left behind, successfully reuniting hundreds with their families. Join her quest to connect with living descendants and finally bring their long-lost relatives home.

For decades, thousands of stories lay hidden in the Oregon State Hospital's "Room of Forgotten Souls," holding approximately 3,500 copper canisters of unclaimed cremains from patients who died there and in surrounding institutions, some as far back as 100 years ago. Fifteen years after its discovery, an online database and memorial have brought these cremains to public attention, reuniting hundreds with living relatives. Still, many secrets remain. Listen here as “Unclaimed” delves into these untold stories using Ancestry's tools, archival records, and genealogy research with host Amy Standen. Listeners will hear about newfound siblings, the mystery of a famous poet's missing matriarch, and life at OSH through medical records and descendant accounts. The series will reveal how Ancestry is uncovering family secrets and reuniting forgotten ashes with modern-day descendants. Unclaimed premieres Tuesday, Nov. 4th. New episodes every Tuesday.