Reporting a "body" to authorities

[memberofthewedding]

You are out in a remote place and you come across what appears to be a dead person. Do you:-

#1 call the police and await their arrival or leave full contact details

#2 call police later from phone box or burner phone. You are concerned that someone may be awaiting news of the dead person but dont want to get personally involved with police/courts/witness statements/media frenzy

#3 walk away and let someone else find it - for similar reasons to #2

1, why on earth would you go 2 or 3?

I probably would wait somewhere safer though, especially if isolated and dark.

I remember once being taught to give a nudge to someone on the floor before leaning over to help in case its a ruse and there's someone waiting in the bushes to pounce.

A burner phone would make you look very sketchy.

Can you elaborate on the “various reasons”? You can opt out of any media knowing who you are, let alone interviews etc. You’d have to agree to publicity…

The only thing I can think of that might be a viable reason to not report would be if you were here illegally, and reporting felt too risky. I can imagine that would feel like a horrendous dilemma.

1 without a doubt. Who would entertain any of the other scenarios?

You rarely get press hounding of the people who found the body. It's usually reported as 'a passer by' or 'a dog walker ' not 'Patricia Smith, 37 of That Street. You know the one. She wears pink glasses and has brown hair. Yes! Wears that velour tracksuit. Went to school with Brian what's his face who was on Naked Attraction!'

There is an option 4. Video it and upload it to YouTube. And yes, there are arseholes who did that.

maybe in a scenario where their partner thinks they were in the office, not finding bodies in the car park of a Travelodge with their colleague Barbara

Been laughing at this for ages

So

In a situation where the police arrest you under suspicion of being involved (eg the hit and run mentioned earlier) and then you’re found innocent, will the arrest muck up your life? Ie would you have to disclose it when applying for jobs or being vetted for whatever reason?

1 obviously

@memberofthewedding

No Ive never found a body but I do know of a couple who did so, but under very different circumstances. They kept quiet about it.

A burner phone - you can get one in Argos or another supermarket for about £10, pay cash and put an unregistered sim in it. Nothing difficult about that.

Damn I was picturing someone sitting next to a body, smartphone in hand, awaiting the outcome of a quick poll on a MN forum...

Only 2 or 3 if I found the body of the person I killed. Otherwise 1

I know this is probably supposed to be one of the “lighthearted” humorous MN posts, but anyone who chooses #3 deserves a swift kick in the knee. My uncle went missing years ago. He’s highly likely to be deceased. It makes me really upset to think that he’s out there somewhere and our family could have closure, but the person who found him thinks it’s somebody else’s problem

Find a body.

Go to Argos.

Buy a phone.

Set it up.

Phone the police.

Chuck the phone.

Live happily ever after?

Is that how it works?

Are you trying to write a Scandi-Noir story? Or are you advertising for Argos?

1 but from a safe location.

This is why I don’t run, jog or own a dog. Those people that do are more likely to find dead bodies.

Do you usually carry a burner phone in case you find a dead body and need to avoid a media frenzy, op? You live a far more exciting life than mine.

I wouldn't have thought of any other option than #1.

1. Check area for hazards. Check if body is actually dead (airway, breathing, circulation.) Call for ambulance, then start CPR or other appropriate first aid. If someone else is with me, they can call ambulance while I start first aid.

Of course, if it's that remote, you might have to climb a hill to get a signal or something.

Just call the police. and an ambulance,, although if you call the police about a body found, the police will arrange the ambulance or another type of vehicle that deals with a corpse. It all depends on the cause of the death as to what will happen.

I would say the number one choice, the police should arrive quickly for this, , you can arrange to be waiting away from the scene, but the police will obviously ask you a few questions if you are the caller of the incident, and they will do the rest.

As if anyone would find a body then continue on their merry way, pop into asda on the way home for a ‘burner’ then call the police? What world do you live in OP?

It would never even occur to me that if I found a body I’d be in any way suspected of any wrongdoing. But if they did suspect me then the fact that I wasn’t involved would quickly become apparent. I really don’t know if I could go close enough to check for life though. Hopefully if it happened my instincts would kick in but I’m a wuss.

Remember to download a voice changer app too OP for making your anonymous call! Don’t want to give too much away. I suggest it would probably be easier for you to purchase the burner phone sooner rather than later and have it charged and ready for action. That’s a better idea than having to go and get one once you’ve found the body.

Did someone say someone they know found a body and just left it?

EBearhug

1. Check area for hazards. Check if body is actually dead (airway, breathing, circulation.) Call for ambulance, then start CPR or other appropriate first aid. If someone else is with me, they can call ambulance while I start first aid.

Of course, if it's that remote, you might have to climb a hill to get a signal or something.

This is what I would do to. I did a 1st aid course where the trainer was a paramedic. He explained that someone who looks dead might not actually be dead. A person who is unconscious can appear grey and lifeless with blue lips from lack of oxygen. He added that only a doctor can declare a person as deceased. However, it is entirely up to you to decide whether to render first aid or not based on your assessment of whether or not it’s safe to approach.

On a lighter note, when I was a child I thought I had found a dead person in a garden outside of the pub/restaurant/motel. My mum was in the bar having a drink with friends when I ran in yelling that there is a dead person in the garden. Everyone erupted into laughter and I stood still puzzled at why these adults thought a dead body was funny. They explained that he was drunk and fell in the garden. Then some of the staff came out with me and checked that he was breathing and he was.

Option 1.

I’m a nurse, wouldn’t bother me sitting with a body or slightly away from it.

This actually happened to me.

I did 4, ring someone in authority & move the feck away as it stinks so bad you have no other choice

Thankfully it turned out to be a pig, but not before it had convinced 4 of us on a beach walk that it was a human 🥴

Anything other than 1 is very selfish. How would you feel if that was one of your relatives that had gone missing, and somebody walked by and decided not to report it or didn't wait and follow through with talking to the police out of fear? I would be fuming.

Phone police straightaway - ambulance as well if I was in any doubt about the deadness (not being an HCP I might not be sure). I'd only remain near corpse if I thought it safe to do so - if somewhere remote, might be better to go to nearest road junction.

Using a 'burner' phone is the action of someone with something to hide - no way would I want to get muddled up in the case by acting suspiciously. I know that in theory a burner phone can't be traced back, but that's only if you paid cash and are cautious in its use.

Couldn't do 3 - it's just wrong

(And 4 - yes, dead pig stretch of death is awful - encountered once, and indefinitely knew it was dead)

But 5 - do you ever wonder if isolated sunbathers or others lying alone in public parks are dead or sleeping? Does anyone ever check?

@knittingaddict

I know what a burner phone is. Your not cooler or cleverer than the rest of us. I'm just questioning why your average person needs a burnner phone. Answer, they don't.

You don’t watch many crime shows do you?

Silly me. I was assuming average people weren't drug dealers or paid assassins.

Obviously 1.

No.2 and 3 are look suspicious

@BarbaraPapa

Who - outside of Line of Duty - has a 'burner phone' to hand?!?

😂😂😂