They never talk about the person who first comes across the dead body.
By Amber
@AmbiePam (121139)
United States
March 24, 2012 6:46am CST
Do you ever wonder how the person who finds the body feels? We've seen so many shows and movies where the story plays out and someone finds the body of a murdered person and then the movie proceeds with the investigation. Even in books the portion where a stranger comes upon a body is usually very short. But I wonder about in real life. Not when someone comes home and sadly finds someone they love dead. But like the fisherman who comes across a floating corpse, or the hikers that come across human remains.
I know, I know, it's macabre. And I didn't realize how much until I started typing this. But still yet, I wonder how this affects these people's lives. Nightmares? Do they have to go to counseling? I'd like to see a movie or book just about how one deals with something we never see talked about - the person who finds the body.
Do you know anyone who was unfortunate enough to be the person who discovers a deceased person?
5 people like this
10 responses
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
24 Mar 12
Not personally, no.
But it is funny that you should mention this, because something just like that has happened here recently.
Last week a 13 year old boy wandering around in the woods near the mall found the remains of a body. The only thing the article said about this boy was that "He did the right thing and didn't disturb the crime scene".
They announced just yesterday that the remains belonged to a 30 year old woman, mom of 3, who's been missing since 2005.
3 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
25 Mar 12
They have no suspects yet and as far as I can tell they're not looking at the husband. The article says they were estranged at the time, and the woman was staying at an assisted living place. From the news report I saw, it said she was only staying there a few months for medical reasons. This article said she had some mental problems. The article said she was last seen getting into a black pick-up truck, but nobody was able to see who was driving the truck.
Here's the article: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/skeletal_remains_in_dewitt_are.html
1 person likes this
@mrfdg1972 (3237)
• Philippines
24 Mar 12
I was assisting my grandfather to the Restroom, when he suddenly had an heart attack, we were in a hospital and i could not leave him on the floor i had to carry him in the bed first while shouting for assistance. it took them sometime to fill up the room with these machines and unfortunately he had to go.
@kat_princess (1522)
• Japan
27 Mar 12
I'd see that in the news & it's realistic because it's really happening.It breaks my heart to see those scenes.Luckily,I haven't seen one happening live.
2 people like this
@lynboobsy11 (11343)
• Philippines
24 Mar 12
I can still recall the day when I first saw the man who shot in the head across our street when I was still in the city. It was so horrible when I saw what really happened, the man was running and I saw the scene when he totally topple down the street with bloody head 
. I was so scared and curious, and not even believe what I saw is real.
. I was so scared and curious, and not even believe what I saw is real.2 people like this
@jillhill (37353)
• United States
26 Mar 12
My dad found our neighbor who had hung himself in his basement........and it bothered my dad for years...Back then they didn't get couseling like you can now....for years my dad would be bothered by it....like he was also in WWII....he didn't like to talk about it and only in his last years did he share his experiences of the war.
2 people like this
@squallming (1775)
• Malaysia
24 Mar 12
I have not known anyone in person who came across a corpse before. There is once that we were playing in a river and suddenly people started to get out from the river, and we only found out that a kid drowned just not far from where we played. I didn't get to see that corpse.
Nevertheless, I believe that those who came across corpse especially someone they loved, might really suffer from a trauma or something. Like dreaming of the corpse every night. They may have to went through appropriate mental therapy to get out of the experience. 
@uath13 (8192)
• United States
25 Mar 12
One day while driving there was a car wreck in front of me. A car going the opposite direction on the other side of the median got completely airborne, flew across the median , landed on top of another car upside down, bounced off onto the ground & completely exploded & disintegrated. I was one of the first people on the scene since I was only a little ways back. When the cops arrived they couldn't even identify what type of car it had been until I showed them where the license plate was. I also pointed out were many of the drivers body parts had landed.
No nightmares or therapy required.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
24 Mar 12
Succinctly, ME, Ambie! One of the two reasons, I resigned from being a Paramedic (EMA1), the fear of becoming callous and de-sensitized! And actually leaning in that direction, in order to survive, mentally! The other reason, my age...and lifting 250-300+ pound persons almost beyond my strength...and paying for it physically, dearly!
The have seriously wised-up to the "grief" of ginormous proportions, cadavers impart and here, at least, CITIZENS ..and all Members of Emergency Response teams DO have "De-Briefing and De-Griefing" ONE-on-one's available 24 hours, and "no-time-limit"! There is NO hard and fast rule, as to when the insurmountable grief can strike.
I cannot speak for the rest of the Country..but a re-sounding "hurrah" here in B.C. when these services were implemented, and made available to past incidents as well!
@bhonti (1246)
• Philippines
24 Mar 12
I remember back in high school, one of the student was stabbed by an outsider inside our school. That was during our break and it happened inside the school premise. My classmates were there at that time and witnessed the whole scene. They were crying and traumatized after that incident.
2 people like this
@TheIzers (680)
•
25 Mar 12
I still remember this young man who I met at college I saw him left the gym when a bus hit him. It happened so fast I screamed so loud I still remember how I felt just like it was happened yesterday. He went to gym everyday, he was a student of mechanical engineer, we went to college in the same year, and very charming young man too, poor him, and poor the family.
1 person likes this
