What happens when police find dead people?
August 3, 2009 12:16 PM Subscribe
What happens when police find dead people?
Over the weekend, I came across a dead person in front of a store, slumped over on a bench. It was a rather deserted area, he'd been there a while. I called 911 and they sent out a paramedic and police. The fire department and paramedics came, quickly followed by police. They determined he was in fact dead, and covered him in a sheet.
The police asked me for my information (Name, DOB, address, phone number). One of the firemen said it was an overdose. Everyone who I talked to was super well trained and knew exactly what to do (including keeping me busy so I wouldn't get freaked out). I asked if they needed me for anything more and went on my way. I wanted to see what would happen, but also wanted to get out of the way. This leads to a few questions.
What happened next? I drove by again a few hours later on my way home and there were more police there. The body was still there, still covered up. Who normally takes them away? Where does he go? How do they clean up?
What did the police do with my information? In what circumstances might I be able to help the police? Was it only for questioning in case I had something to do with it?
Over the weekend, I came across a dead person in front of a store, slumped over on a bench. It was a rather deserted area, he'd been there a while. I called 911 and they sent out a paramedic and police. The fire department and paramedics came, quickly followed by police. They determined he was in fact dead, and covered him in a sheet.
The police asked me for my information (Name, DOB, address, phone number). One of the firemen said it was an overdose. Everyone who I talked to was super well trained and knew exactly what to do (including keeping me busy so I wouldn't get freaked out). I asked if they needed me for anything more and went on my way. I wanted to see what would happen, but also wanted to get out of the way. This leads to a few questions.
What happened next? I drove by again a few hours later on my way home and there were more police there. The body was still there, still covered up. Who normally takes them away? Where does he go? How do they clean up?
What did the police do with my information? In what circumstances might I be able to help the police? Was it only for questioning in case I had something to do with it?
In what circumstances might I be able to help the police? Was it only for questioning in case I had something to do with it?
Well, if it did turn out that he died of something other than natural causes, there could be reasons to talk to you further that have nothing to do with assuming you killed the guy. (For example, if it turned out he died of some sort of trauma, they might want to know if you'd heard anything strange in the area before you actually came across the body.)
posted by scody at 12:30 PM on August 3, 2009
Well, if it did turn out that he died of something other than natural causes, there could be reasons to talk to you further that have nothing to do with assuming you killed the guy. (For example, if it turned out he died of some sort of trauma, they might want to know if you'd heard anything strange in the area before you actually came across the body.)
posted by scody at 12:30 PM on August 3, 2009
Best answer: Using one major east coast city where my wife was an EMT as an example: If they're dead, 911 will get send cops, medics and the coroner/medical examiner and they'll decide whether they're going to the hospital before the morgue. If they're DEAD you'll just get the cops + coroner.
Either way, off to the morgue and an autopsy in the case of someone found dead in public. Cleanup (at least in the case of someone found in a building) is done by a private, very specialized service because in the case of someone dying in a closed house, things are not-going-to-repeat-the-stories-in-public gross.
posted by paanta at 12:34 PM on August 3, 2009
Either way, off to the morgue and an autopsy in the case of someone found dead in public. Cleanup (at least in the case of someone found in a building) is done by a private, very specialized service because in the case of someone dying in a closed house, things are not-going-to-repeat-the-stories-in-public gross.
posted by paanta at 12:34 PM on August 3, 2009
The body will go to the Medical Examiners Office and an autopsy will likely be performed. The police and ME will use any identifying features (ID, tattoos, surgical scars, fingerprints) to exact a positive identification. If he has family they will be notified. Many a time the family will handle his funeral plans. If not, there will be public burial/cremation.
The value you have to them is that you might have witnessed some element of foul play, or more simply, you may have something to do with his death!
posted by teg4rvn at 12:34 PM on August 3, 2009
The value you have to them is that you might have witnessed some element of foul play, or more simply, you may have something to do with his death!
posted by teg4rvn at 12:34 PM on August 3, 2009
Best answer: What did the police do with my information? In what circumstances might I be able to help the police? Was it only for questioning in case I had something to do with it?
I'd say more for questioning in general. Say that they track down this guy's family, and someone in the family says "oh no it couldn't have been an overdose, my husband was a counselor for Narc-Anon!" or something. Then the police could contact you and ask "did you happen to see anyone hovering around the area when you found the body? Say anyone....I don't know, holding a syringe?"
Or say they uncover that the deceased had a daughter who was supposedly traveling with him, they could contact you and ask "you didn't see a little girl hanging around the area, did you?"
Or they find he was supposed to have had the Lost Ark of the Covenant with him in a brown paper bag, they could ask you "you didn't see a brown paper bag or anything, did you?"
Basically they take down your info as a just-in-case if it comes up that anyone anywhere has any more questions they want to check out. They don't think you did it as such, all they know is that you were the human being who spotted this body and informed police, so if there IS any kind of investigation into anything, they have a square one to start with ("wait, do we know whether he was holding an inhaler?" "Huh, good question. Hey, call the guy who found the body, maybe he saw an inhaler out there somewhere.")
Even if they do investigate a case they may not contact you; I was a witness in a case of credit card fraud, to the point that the police actually brought me to the hotel room where they had the guys in cuffs and had me confirm that "yes, those were the men who accepted the merchandise I delivered," and they took down my information and my name and phone number if they needed me as a witness in the grand jury. But after I walked out of that hotel room, that was the last I ever heard of that situation. It's just procedural to keep that in case they have any further questions about anything. If they don't....it just goes in a file and the file gets shoved in a drawer and that's that.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:34 PM on August 3, 2009 [3 favorites]
I'd say more for questioning in general. Say that they track down this guy's family, and someone in the family says "oh no it couldn't have been an overdose, my husband was a counselor for Narc-Anon!" or something. Then the police could contact you and ask "did you happen to see anyone hovering around the area when you found the body? Say anyone....I don't know, holding a syringe?"
Or say they uncover that the deceased had a daughter who was supposedly traveling with him, they could contact you and ask "you didn't see a little girl hanging around the area, did you?"
Or they find he was supposed to have had the Lost Ark of the Covenant with him in a brown paper bag, they could ask you "you didn't see a brown paper bag or anything, did you?"
Basically they take down your info as a just-in-case if it comes up that anyone anywhere has any more questions they want to check out. They don't think you did it as such, all they know is that you were the human being who spotted this body and informed police, so if there IS any kind of investigation into anything, they have a square one to start with ("wait, do we know whether he was holding an inhaler?" "Huh, good question. Hey, call the guy who found the body, maybe he saw an inhaler out there somewhere.")
Even if they do investigate a case they may not contact you; I was a witness in a case of credit card fraud, to the point that the police actually brought me to the hotel room where they had the guys in cuffs and had me confirm that "yes, those were the men who accepted the merchandise I delivered," and they took down my information and my name and phone number if they needed me as a witness in the grand jury. But after I walked out of that hotel room, that was the last I ever heard of that situation. It's just procedural to keep that in case they have any further questions about anything. If they don't....it just goes in a file and the file gets shoved in a drawer and that's that.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:34 PM on August 3, 2009 [3 favorites]
Basically they take down your info as a just-in-case
Often it's even more general than that. Many departments have a policy of keeping record of all police contacts.
That way, the next time you come across a dead body and call 911, they'll have some rather more interesting questions to ask.
posted by dhartung at 12:40 PM on August 3, 2009 [3 favorites]
Often it's even more general than that. Many departments have a policy of keeping record of all police contacts.
That way, the next time you come across a dead body and call 911, they'll have some rather more interesting questions to ask.
posted by dhartung at 12:40 PM on August 3, 2009 [3 favorites]
Best answer: There's a This American Life episode where one of the stories is about a woman who gets called when people find a dead body, not to deal with the body itself, but to deal with the stuff left behind.
posted by jeb at 12:55 PM on August 3, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by jeb at 12:55 PM on August 3, 2009 [2 favorites]
I was just about to suggest that This American Life episode - jeb beat me to it. Very interesting.
posted by Cygnet at 1:14 PM on August 3, 2009
posted by Cygnet at 1:14 PM on August 3, 2009
If its any consolation you could have had a worse weekend. The crewmate of my SO got a call on Saturday, her daughter had found a dead body on the beach...on a first date.
posted by biffa at 1:16 PM on August 3, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by biffa at 1:16 PM on August 3, 2009 [2 favorites]
If you're interested in the police side of this, you should definitely read Homicide, the book on which the show is based. It does a really good job of detailing several examples of exactly what happens when a body is found and police are called, including one or two that aren't actually homicides.
posted by The Michael The at 1:31 PM on August 3, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by The Michael The at 1:31 PM on August 3, 2009 [2 favorites]
found a dead body in the woods, flagged down a cop, he took my name and contact info... never heard about it again.
posted by geos at 1:36 PM on August 3, 2009
posted by geos at 1:36 PM on August 3, 2009
As I've written about before, Practical Homicide Investigation will fill you in on any details not covered here. Ignore the chapter on psychics.
The Michael The's recommendation of Homicide is also spot-on.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 1:52 PM on August 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
The Michael The's recommendation of Homicide is also spot-on.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 1:52 PM on August 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
Further morbid reading: Aftermath, Inc: Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home & Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.
posted by djb at 3:02 PM on August 3, 2009
posted by djb at 3:02 PM on August 3, 2009
You might also be interested in the documentary A Certain Kind of Death.
posted by ryanshepard at 3:34 PM on August 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by ryanshepard at 3:34 PM on August 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies has way more information than you require.
posted by neuron at 4:14 PM on August 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by neuron at 4:14 PM on August 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
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posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:22 PM on August 3, 2009