The unclaimed dead: Medical examiners post photos of unidentified corpses on the Internet in the hopes that loved ones will find them

The corpses' faces are mostly bloated, their skin pale and discolored. One man's lips are stiffened into a grim frown and he stares with half-open eyes. Another man appears to be sleeping, his color natural enough that he almost looks alive.

Forensic investigator Michael Simley knows some people will find the photographs unsettling, but he said he decided to post them online for an important reason: the bodies are unidentified.

All were found in Wisconsin's most populous area, Milwaukee County, and have been without names for years — decades, in some cases — and Simley said he's desperate to find answers.