Have you ever seen a dead body?

Question

How did you cope?

Youryeodongsaeng · Accepted Answer

(2017) I saw a dead puppy once. He was ours, the family's. Apparently, he died by eating the brownie crumbs that I ate in my room and my stepsister (who was around 6 at the time) fed him a starburst or two.

I was asleep and my little brother woke everyone up (I'm not sure if everyone was asleep. I knew I was, but his dad wasn't and he was helping the little brother with something.) I opened my door, he announced our puppy to be dead and took him out the garbage bag, holding him up. My mom told him to put it back in the bag because the corpse smelled. I didn't smell it and it was disappointing because I want to smell the smell of a corpse... Animal or human. Since some people smelled a corpse, I'm curious. I've looked up what it smelled like but I couldn't figure out the smell because I've never smelled it before.

(2020) My family, excluding the stepdad and my sibling's friends all walked to the nearby store because we wanted something there. On a road I've been taken on by my aunt when I was a child, leading to her church, was a dead cat. My brother and his friends gathered around it. He said it's head is split open and I noped and kept walking straight to where the store is located.
I'm not a big fan of gore. I can look at it from time to time but mostly, it'll feel like the sun was in my eyes and I'll turn away and wipe my eyes because apparently it irritates my eyes so bad.

(2021) Before school ended, I was riding a bus and saw a dead deer on the grass on either side of the road. It was a highway and I was fancinated at the fact of how stiff the deer looked. (Do deers have white patterns on their bodies?) It was just there. Lifeless.

As far as me being close to a dead body, was my first stepdad at his funeral. I was 3 at the time. My mom had felt his pants and said that he peed and I believed it until recently that the wetness was probably those bodily fluid liquids they use for dead bodies when preparing them for their funeral. I've known years ago that once you die, if you had to pee or poop, it comes straight out because your body is just fully relaxed and lifeless.

Another funeral I went when I was little was some girl my aunt knew, my aunt who died in 2018(? I honestly can't remember) and my grandmother's, who passed in... 2018.

I hadn't been to a funeral since.

As far as a corpse, nope. But I want to.

SaoirseS · Accepted Answer

I’m so sorry for your loss, Zoe. I’m a funeral home owner/operator so I see human remains all the time. I cannot possibly feel how you feel, but coping when seeing the remains of a loved one after they’ve passed unexpectedly is tougher than coping with the death of one who has passed after living a full life. As I commented on another post, despite dealing with death care as a matter of routine, I can handle most anything emotionally but suicides get to me. Getting through it is emotionally tough, and the unanswered question “why” still lingers on in our minds. But to cope, don’t second-guess yourself. There is nothing that can be done for her remains but handle them with care. Don’t have a viewing or open casket, leave her to Rest In Peace. Above all, take care of yourself and the family, look out for each other. If it helps seek grief counseling, through whatever support group you may have or ask the funeral director to point you in the right direction. Focus on the positive impact she had. The experience of finding her will be etched in your mind for a long time, it’s unavoidable. In time you will get through it. I’ll be thinking of you.

ohshee · Accepted Answer

This is a hard question to answer because I've seen three one of them I brought back but eight months later died again and I couldn't bring them back the two other ones for both in car accidents I brought one of them back didn't have a pulse but I thought he he was dead someone else said he was dead but I just felt that they were dead and I got them to come back and the other one was dead there's no way bringing them back the first one I'm talking about was my step dad he had died eight different times somehow we always brought him back this last time I live in Reno he live in California and in the middle of the night I woke up and I had to go see him after partying all night so the next day I went got to see him I got there talked to him for about 10-15 minutes went to get my little brother got back to the house he was walking in the kitchen fell down to the floor and we couldn't bring him back it's traumatic what's even more upsetting is when they die and all the strange things start happening 120 gallon air compressor got pushed over there was a car on top of a car you got pushed over off of the car it was just weird but yes I have and it sucks

Lliam · Accepted Answer

When I was a kid, my family and my grandfather were driving in the desert. There was a place where the two lane highway dipped to go under a railroad bridge. We came upon a head on collision that had just happened. No cops yet. Steam still coming from the radiators. A volvo was rolled into a ball with two girls inside. The other car was a station wagon with an older Mexican couple inside. My dad, grandfather and I walked up the side of the road and looked down from the level of the bridge. We didn't go up to the cars or anything. But we could see that there were no survivors. I wasn't super traumatized at the time. More fascinated because I was quite young. But the image stuck with me.

My mom died in her own bed at night after a log bout with cancer. It was expected. My dad was there. I got a call very early in the morning. By the time I got there, my sister had also arrived.
I went in knelt over my mom, kissed her and cried really hard. She was cold.
It was very difficult. I was in my early 40s.

Aside from that, I've been to some open casket funerals.

Apple1996 · Answer

Only 3 and those were all funerals so I dont think it counts

Leavesbound · Answer

Yes. When I was around 5 I watched helplessly as the little kid down the street was backed over by a steam roller. At 7 I went to my grandmother's wake when they had an open casket. At 11 I saw a car accident and the people were burnt up inside. At 16 my Dad died and I saw him at the open casket wake. At 27 I watched a women jump to her death from about 20 stories up. She landed about 20 feet from me. Oh and they don't go splat they go BANG! when they hit the pavement. At 46 I worked at a crematorium and saw dead bodies from time to time though mostly they came in boxes and bags. Five years ago I found a dead homeless guy at the park. Two years ago the cops killed an unarmed Black guy in front of me. I now only have an emotional response if it's someone close to me. Sadly, seeing random dead strangers does not cause me to have any kind of emotional response unless I can smell them. Though I am sure I would react more strongly if it was a dead kid which thankfully I've only seen that one time.

hailiegirl12 · Answer

Yes.
On July 12, 2018, tragedy struck my family. My aunt, Kristal Kennedy, had been going to nursing school because she wanted to become a nurse. She had 4 children, Nevaeh 11, Giovonni 7, Donte 5, and Shaylynn 15 months. As you read on please keep in mind that her then 7 year old had Cystic Fibrosis, better known as CF. Anyway, my aunt left to go to nursing school. At around 6 pm, my aunt got a call from her 11 year old daughter Nevaeh. Nevaeh had said that her 15 month old sister Shaylynn had fallen into their pool and wasn't breathing. She had tried CPR, but it didn't work. My aunt rushed to the hospital Shaylynn was at. Later, she got news that sadly Shaylynn hadn't made it.
My aunt called my parents and told them. Later that week, we drove out to Arizona to go to Shaylynn's funeral. My aunt flat out said that she thought she'd have to bury her 7 year old son before any of her other children ((remember why)). Before we had Shaylynn's funeral, my aunt, dad, 6 year old ((at the time)) brother, and me ((i was 10)) got to see Shaylynn at the funeral home. then we got to see her again at the funeral because it was open casket. I even touched her and she felt like a rubber doll... RIP Shaylynn Leeanne Elizabeth Kennedy March 14, 2017-July 12, 2018
Search this up if you want to learn more- Shaylynn Kennedy. if you want DM me to let me know what you think.

PaynefulPleasures · Answer

My deepest condolences 🙏 I'm so sorry you had to witness that prayers 🕊️
As to your question yes I have being retired from the medical field I've seen my share
My son I was very young at the time who passed away of S. I. D. S
Two close friends committed suicide, one I found, the other in front of me
Then taking my late husband off of life support crushing I'm still dealing with that matter
Medical field didn't effect me ( I mean it effected me) but not as much as someone I love deeply or someone I know well
Take care ✌️

Pasiton5 · Answer

That's funny, your joking though right, i grew up in the hood, saw more than i cared to, but what do you do cry, turn into a babbling nut, just keep going to much other crap to avoid being like the poor soul now deceased to dwell on it and back then you think cops are out of control today, these guys are girl scouts compared to the shit they got away with, and more than likely, they caused that death and didn't give s damn who saw them do it, and these protest today black lives matter shit they would not have made it out the front door to go protest a damn thing, would have been too terrified to leave the house yeah i seen lot worse than a dead body, is the smell you never forget as it is decaying,

jennifer_bloom · Answer

I did once at a funeral and once when a guy got a heart attack during a trip to the mall and fell on the floor. The funeral wasn’t too upsetting because my grandma had been properly set up for display by the funeral staff and her clothes and the flowers and the procession was beautiful and was a positive way to remember a life well lived. The sudden death at the mall was tougher because it was unexpected and the guy looked young, less than 60 years old, I closed my eyes and asked my friend to take me by the hand and lead me outside so I would not have to look. One thing that comforts me is knowing that when somebody dies a painful death, there chances of going to Heaven are a lot higher because they already suffered on earth.

exitseven · Answer

I have been to so many wakes and funerals I cannot count. The worst experience I had was when my father died. I got a call that he had some kind of event at work so I drove in to the hospital and when I asked about him the ER attendant told me to sit down, I knew then it was bad news and he tole me then my father didn't make it.
I sked t see him and he was lying on a table. There were still pieces of plastic tubing and wrappers lying around. I took hold of his hand was surprised at how cold he already was. It was a real train wreck.

GoodGuyBreakingBad · Answer

I'm sorry about your loss, thankfully I never found anyone dead, I think you never recover from seeing a dead body, I know my late Mom was going through some health concerns I found her one Sunday not responsive and I believe it was due to her diabetes I called an ambulance and they took her to the local hospital and It wasn't
long I got a call she was okay so she never told me what happened but I suspect
it was her diabetes, My Mom was in a deep depression and I think she was sick
but didn't want to get the help I miss her but I got live on for her

Quidthonian · Answer

A work colleague suffered a fatal stroke when on a company outing. I didn't think much of it; my geeky side linked his blue lips with what I have been taught in Flight training school.
During the debrief with a police psychologist who visited the company, I kind of giggled (probably as my personalised reaction) through the session. This was highly offensive to another work colleague. I wasn't doing that on purpose: I guess it was my method of coping. I tried to personally apologise, but they were rejected.

Prettygurl12 · Answer

I have seen a number of dead bodies in various stages of decomposition. I'm sure finding a loved one unexpectedly deceased would be much different than a stranger.

I am able to compartmentalize what I'm seeing and I don't hold onto it. Again, finding a loved one dead would probably shock my system because it'd be personal then.

ThePolishKnight37 · Answer

I have seen more than I would like. I worked at a cemetery and saw a few dead bodies, some that had been in the ground for a while. I also worked at a health club and was involved in CPR on 3 people one died the other two survived. all 3 were dead when I started CPR.

Trainborn35 · Answer

I am so sorry. I have seen many dead bodies (did a month at coroner’s office). I truly believe the soul has left the body and the body itself is like the cocoon for the soul. There is a weird unreal ness to the body at that point. It is hard but you just detach your mind from any further thinking about it.

Slartybartfast · Answer

Lol, me standing in a room full to the ceiling with them...

(I'm working in a hospital morgue room )

I've seen a few outside as well, when I was five a women fell off the trapeze at the circus, I had gotten separated from my kindergarten class and she landed like a sack of potatoes on the concrete right in front of me.

FilmGuy93 · Answer

Several times. I don't know why, but it never especially bothered me. Maybe because I didn't have any connection with the person? Whatever the reason though, I just sort took note of what happened to the person (now clearly dead) and went about my day.

magiusX26 · Answer

dozens of them. mostly at funerals/funeral homes (used to rent some property from a big cemetary here with its own funeral home on their property and the entire cemetary was considered a part of our yard too) . i too found my mom dead and was the one to call 911 for it. she had died in her sleep. as a side note, try to never live near a crematorium, the smell sucks.

ChattyGuy43 · Answer

I saw my dads deads body at a funeral home after he had been enbalmed and dressed, it didn't look like him.

I cried my eyes out as I couldnt believe he wasn't alive anymore yet 3 weeks before hand he was alive and talking.

I've also seen my gran-dad shortly after he had a heart attack and died in hospital.

KrakenAttackin · Answer

Hell yes. Seen several. Had one guy who out a double barrel shotgun in his mouth and pulled the second (both barrel) trigger. Blew his head to little pieces. I entered the house and saw his neck/shoulders with only a little brain tissue clinging to the spinal cord.

Have seen several people who hanged themselves. Natural causes and car accidents.

DeeDeeDeVour · Answer

During a wake and a funeral, in the hospital, on the street, in a war zone, etc.

InfobotLives · Answer

I just put it under the floorboards with the others. It's only when they start to stink that it gets awkward 🤔

Anonymous · Answer

Seeing the dead body of someone who passed in their sleep isn't scary, it feels normal to see your grandparents dead like that.

However I've seen suicide victims in real life when I was barely a teenager. That hurts a lot more to look at. Ragdoll bodies and bloody body parts on the concrete feel a lot different. Sucks to live in tall apartment buildings.

DGravez6 · Answer

Unfortunately, yes. I used to be a scrub tech at the local hospital here. One of my jobs was to sterilize equipment and that included the tools from the morgue. I hated it. I'll never forget the smell. It was awful. I don't want to spund morbid but after awhile it became a routine and I just became kind of numb to it all.

ArrowheadSW · Answer

I am so sorry to hear about your mom.

I used to work in medical, so it was expected there.

Other than that, I did see a deceased homeless person once. That was sad. Makes you wonder what his story in life was.

SecretsofKB · Answer

I work in healthcare. I've seen dead bodies, and I've seen people die.

The former never bothered me, but the latter caused issues in the beginning.

Lots of self-reflection at first. Now, it's a mostly numbness.

FoxnEagle · Answer

Yes, but those that I've seen are either in the casket already (open casket funeral) or driving by a lethal car crash. No coping necessary :/

Fuentes · Answer

Yes a few never bugged me i just noticed that their were was no longer a spirit in the body the first body i seen i was 8, then when i was 11 witnessed a dead body in the alleyway me and my family thought it was funny cause we thought it was a trash bag but it was really a dead homeless person who was murdered face first in all black & i worked in a morgue type place before. I think it's just a part of life as the way i seen it im more afraid of ghost then any lifeless body.

GingerGuy · Answer

Only at a funeral. It would be horrible to find someone dead. I hope that never happens to me.

Paris13 · Answer

Lots of Times. I use4d to Work in a Nursing Home and had to prepare for bag and Tag. I also have Seen them embalmed in Funeral Homes and Touch Them... They are Family. I cope Well with Death. xx

Agape93 · Answer

Yeah, twice for humans. Death itself doesn’t bother me, it’s only when it’s someone I care about that it starts to affect me. One was whatever, the other broke my heart.

pleasestopthis · Answer

Grandma, grandpa, dad, and two people I had to see in the morgue. I never had a shocking experience, but it was painful instead (with my relatives)

Mofunfour20 · Answer

Were all constantly coping with death because its inevitable. I choose to live with no regrets, when someone dies I appreciate the impact they had on my life because i love myself.

hellionthesagereborn · Answer

Yes, I've had several family members die. My grandparents, great grandma, my friends sister (died of cancer when she was twenty), my friends father, my cousin and his wife (died in a car accident).

CrypticViper · Answer

I have, I had a chance to see my sister before she was cleaned up at the funeral home. The memory will always stick with you, I ended up having to talk to a therapist about it.

lpoots · Answer

our customer was coop funeral for AC when the AC went down we had to fix the air con  the bodies are always in veiw  been worked on

ItsTheNephilim · Answer

Sure, some relatives. Not the ones I'd dearly love. And my grandparents when I were a kid. Just felt numb most of the times. Nothing too much.

PeacefulRainDrop · Answer

I am sooo sorry for your loss! I can't imagine what that would be like! Did they do an autopsy?

Anonymous · Answer

Yeah, my grandpa at his funeral. I'm of the mentality that everyone dies. It's a normal, and honestly kind of comforting, part of life. So it doesn't bother me too much.

NightOwl8801 · Answer

I have when i was a reserve deputy at my local sheriff's office... I talked with my partners and decompressed...
I have been at the bedsides of both my grandfather and grandmother when they passed , that's a hard reality to accept

MCheetah · Answer

Yes. Not just at funerals, but elsewhere as well. They don't faze me.

Interstate · Answer

Yes, with candles at both ends. How I coped depended on how close I was to the person.

A_Bell · Answer

Yes, and they had been dead for a couple of weeks. The smell is something I will never forget.

Andres77 · Answer

First time, in Haiti. Dead body on the side of the road. No one cared. I couldn't react. We were focused on other matters at hand.

SwitchGirl · Answer

I don't know... It's a weird feeling , they were strangers, but it's overwhelming, the thought that from a person with families, friends, goals and dreams becomes a lifeless object, it's sad

Zentraxius · Answer

Yes. A few, none were people I knew though so in not sure how I'd handle that. probably poorly

CallmeTheKnight · Answer

Depending on your profession, you will see them a lot. I work in the medical field, so it's very common for me to see it

I_want_a_moustache · Answer

I saw my baby sister after she drowned but I think I’m not that sad anymore it gets better after a while.

call_me_scar · Answer

Yeah once at a funeral and I possibly found a skeleton under a bridge but I never heard if that was human or not

legalboxers · Answer

1. father dead 2. Bosses brother dead (suicide) 3. Bosses father dead.. (heat stroke)

BLMUSER · Answer

Not in real life. A loved one passed away and I saw her in my dreams. It was as vivid as waking consciousness. She was so happy and smiling. And then I woke up.

johnsmithjs · Answer

Dead things really do not bother me as I realize it is all part of the "Cycle of life".

clampfan101 · Answer

Only if you include funerals, which I feel I cope with quite well. I try to keep a “see you again in Heaven” mindset.

Twalli · Answer

My grandfather had an open casket funeral and I have sen dead animals in my yard from my dog and near the road from other factors

Anonymous · Answer

Yes, I have, I coped by virtue of the fact that I didn't have any choice.

_no_one_ · Answer

Yeah there was a murder in my neighborhood and ny rabbit's

ChiTown33 · Answer

Yeah. My father when the medics were trying to revive him.

Anonymous · Answer

Other than at funerals, I've seen a disembodied abdomen, a brain attached to a spinal column, some organs, a skull with a big hole exposing brain.

WhereIsMyLover · Answer

Plenty. I used to work in EMS. I had to bag several of them.

Pogi-Paddy-2 · Answer

Yes, I have. Worked as an EMT and a combat medic in the military. I seen too many to count.

888theGreat · Answer

probably 50 , you never been to a funeral?

Paulychicago10 · Answer

Definitely. There's not real coping skill to let it go if you were close

Bklynbadboy12 · Answer

I mean I'm from the Hood that was everyday life for me

Have you ever seen a dead body?

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