Decomp smell **REVISIT**

[krimekat]

Thanks for clearing that up. Is this in any documentation like the 400 pgs of docs? I must have missed it.

yes it was explained in the 400+ docs

 

[krimekat]

So then how *do* pathologists and funeral home employees deal with it as it must be quite common in their everyday lives?

strong stomachs and lots of that goo under the nose . . .

 

[Studio_Medic]

People have said the smell is 'even worse' than a dead (small) animal...hard to imagine and I don't even want to! I'm thinking an entire Hazmat outfit, fitted with special O2 breathing apparatus might be needed to be able to deal with such a mess as what is described in some posts about the state of vehicles. I don't know how anyone could stand it otherwise.

The only thing I've ever smelled was dead skunk, whilst driving on a trip and you know how THAT smell permeates for about 1/2 mi and more. UGH.

There is NOTHING in the world that compares to the smell of a decomposing body. I have been a Paramedic for over 20 years and one of my first calls was for an elderly female who had passed away in her home and wasn't found for almost 2 weeks.(even though she lived in a triplex with neighbors) When I pulled onto the street that her house was on, I could smell her. I looked at my partner and said " This isn't going to be good". When we walked inside the house, the smell immediately permeated everything we had on ( we were not fortunate enough to a have breathing appartus). My partner and I literally had to burn our uniforms, the smell was THAT bad. Not only do your clothes smell, but it gets into your hair, nasal passages etc. Not a smell you want to bring home to your family. It took about a week before the smell finally dissapated. After that call, I think the part of brain that signals smells stopped working.

As far as putting "Vicks" under your nose that is a fallacy. I was informed by a long time worker from the Orange County Medical Examiner's office, that Vicks actually has an opposite affect...it is made to clear the nasal passages, which maker the smell even greater. If they are dealing with a decomp body they will wear special masks that prevent smells from coming in.

One of the many things that strikes me odd with this case is the fact that Cindy Anthony stated the car "smelled like there was a damn body in it" when in fact she was with George at the impound lot and knew that he had removed a bag of garbage from the trunk and disposed of it. I know that is what she reverted to later on, but why mention the smell in the 911 call????

 

[AutomaticAuttie]

I found this when I was looking up info on maggots.

comment number 12 by: Tammy Pecore
May 25th, 2006 at 7:03 pm

Last night I got into bed and found 6 small maggotts (I think) between the sheets. They had a really bad oder to them. We noticed a bad smell about three days ago and have been searching for a dead animal with no luck. I immediately put all the bedding into the washer and washed with very hot water. How did they get there? And will I need to throw out my mattress?

here is the link...
http://www.houseintohome.co.za/pests-and-bugs/killing-maggots/

 

[Chloekins]

So then how *do* pathologists and funeral home employees deal with it as it must be quite common in their everyday lives?

We wear special face masks that have been impregnated with a seive material that reduces the amount of smell that is allowed to reach the nose. It is similar to that which nurses use for isolation/TB patients.

 

[treeseeker]

Many years ago, I worked in a hospital and assisted the pathologist. Most of the bodies were refrigerated, so not a great deal of odor.

 

[Suzie002]

I think George was lying when he told the story about the Gas Cans on the 24th. I think he was covering for Casey. He can now testify that "he was in that trunk on the 24th & there was no smell"

It's also possible that Casey removed the Body from the Backyard after George left for work on the 24th.

imo

I have always thought George was covering for Casey about the gas cans. He filed the report that about $50 was stolen and then tells Greta that it was like a 1.5 gallon and a 2.5 gallon can. It's been bothering me since I seen the interview with Greta. That's not $50 worth of gas and the shed had a padlock. As we all know, they aren't $50 either. Something just really bothers me about that.

 

[Nore]

According to my DH who is a funeral director the smell of a dead body is much worse than that of an animal. He said that it is the most horiffic smell that he has ever encountered and that he will never forget it.

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I've posted this before.My ex~Boss is a funeral director in Cleveland.He said the only odor that is even close is that of a rotten potato,its even worse than that. They no doubt have some sort of mask to wear when working with the body~maybe that is why it is often a closed casket.I imagine embalming would take away the chance of any strong odor.It is a putrid smell.Agh~~Nore

 

[ShinaLite]

~snip~
One of the many things that strikes me odd with this case is the fact that Cindy Anthony stated the car "smelled like there was a damn body in it" when in fact she was with George at the impound lot and knew that he had removed a bag of garbage from the trunk and disposed of it. I know that is what she reverted to later on, but why mention the smell in the 911 call????

also, those words were preceeded by "There's something wrong.."

Her instinct to call 911 that day was right on...so were the words "there's something wrong...the car smells like there was damn body in it"

She is choosing to ignore those instincts now and live in denial...or even worse...she has found out the truth and is just covering up for Casey...

 

[SleuthyGal]

We wear special face masks that have been impregnated with a seive material that reduces the amount of smell that is allowed to reach the nose. It is similar to that which nurses use for isolation/TB patients.

Ahhhhhhh. Ewwwwww. I don't think I'd want ANY smell getting through to me. I gag just smelling the odor of formaldehyde (hated 7th grade biology for that reason).

 

[SleuthyGal]

When my brother was found dead, which was about 2.5 days after he actually died (massive heart attack), and then another day or so for the autopsy, the funeral home was unable to do a regular embalming due to collapsed arteries, etc. so all they could do was a 'topical' application of embalming solution. My mother was worried about any potential odor so she instructed the funeral home to put an empty casket in the room for the service and already have his real casket loaded into their hearse. No one except our family knew he wasn't really in the one at the funeral home service as there was no viewing. It was very surreal watching people come up and say a prayer to what was in reality an empty casket.

 

[txsvicki]

also, those words were preceeded by "There's something wrong.."

Her instinct to call 911 that day was right on...so were the words "there's something wrong...the car smells like there was damn body in it"

She is choosing to ignore those instincts now and live in denial...or even worse...she has found out the truth and is just covering up for Casey...

I thought it very odd for Cindy to cuss about the "dam$" car when calling about the missing child, whom they knew was missing, especially after they say they looked under the playhouse for signs of foul play. I'd like to know if Casey did any searches online about decomp smells in vehicles. Maybe she didn't realize it would linger from now on.

 

[SleuthyGal]

No matter what, Cindy can never take back those words on the 911 call and deny saying them. She can TRY to obfuscate and change the meaning, but she said what she said VERY clearly. That 911 call will be used in any trial and she will have helped seal the fate of the murderer.

 

[wings]

When my brother was found dead, which was about 2.5 days after he actually died (massive heart attack), and then another day or so for the autopsy, the funeral home was unable to do a regular embalming due to collapsed arteries, etc. so all they could do was a 'topical' application of embalming solution. My mother was worried about any potential odor so she instructed the funeral home to put an empty casket in the room for the service and already have his real casket loaded into their hearse. No one except our family knew he wasn't really in the one at the funeral home service as there was no viewing. It was very surreal watching people come up and say a prayer to what was in reality an empty casket.

I personally think that was a beautiful choice on your mother's part. Spare the loved ones the negative sensory memory. I'm one who wishes to remember loved ones in a positive light. The service is just a measure of closure and paying respect for the life lived.

 

[Gram2]

My late husband died at home. I don't think it was a decomp smell because he was removed shortly afterwards. However, there was a lingering smell that I can only describe as the "smell of death". I had all of our capreting removed and had the AC ducts cleaned to get rid of it.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I have a question about decomp (human) smell. Just recently there was a dead racoon in the complex where I live. OMG that smell was horrible. It laid out in the hot sun for two days, and I could not walk my dogs within 200 feet without having that smell hit me like a ton of bricks. Someone finally removed the dead animal on the 3rd or 4th day, but the smell is still there. In the grass I guess where it lay. Not as strong, but still there.

Is the smell of a dead body like that? Worse?

It is much much worse. I have smelled human decomposition 2 times in my life time. One the person had been dead 4 days and the other one about 2 weeks. When I recall those times I can still smell that horrific smell to this day and get nauseated all over again.

A lot of it is due to the foods that the human being eats versus animals. From what I have read the body starts breaking down within 20 minutes after death...of course the decomposition rate is greatly affected by the environmental elements which in this case where horrible conditions.

Hot days.
Humidity.
In sealed trunk with sun beating down on metal trunk.
And if she was wrapped in a blanket that too would increase the decomposition rate.

imoo

 

[marlap]

This all makes me very curious:

Point one: Caylee wasn't seen after June 15th and we think maybe she was hidden temporarily in the Anthony's back yard because the dogs alerted.

Point two: Casey left the car at Amscott on June 26th.

Point three: Casey stayed with Tony on the June 18th (without Caylee)

Questions:

How long exactly was Caylee hidden at the Anthony's? Wouldn't they smell the awful smell in their own back yard?

Where did Casey sleep June 16 and 17? Do we know?

After she removed Caylee's body from the backyard and until she finally hid it, how long did she drive around with her in the car? Did anyone around her notice that her car smelled awful?


I guess that from June 15 to July 16---either the Anthony's backyard or the car had to be smelling awful.

Maybe LE has this witness information and we haven't seen it.

 

[SleuthyGal]

It is much much worse. I have smelled human decomposition 2 times in my life time. One the person had been dead 4 days and the other one about 2 weeks. When I recall those times I can still smell that horrific smell to this day and get nauseated all over again.

A lot of it is due to the foods that the human being eats versus animals. From what I have read the body starts breaking down within 20 minutes after death...of course the decomposition rate is greatly affected by the environmental elements which in this case where horrible conditions.

OMG. This has cemented my decision to be cremated! Not that I was really debating it, but I sure don't want to turn into primordial ooze, given a choice in the matter.

BTW, I read an article yesterday that technically the process of decomp starts FOUR MINUTES after death! It takes 24 hrs - 48 hrs (depending on the conditions) for this process to become obvious/noticeable to the lay person. But at a cellular level it starts immediately after death.

 

[McDonough]

So then how *do* pathologists and funeral home employees deal with it as it must be quite common in their everyday lives?

When I asked him he said that most people that die away from a hospital setting are discovered before decomposition sets in and once they are brought to the morgue/funeral home they are usually stored in refrigeration until embalmed. They do have masks that they can wear if the smell is very bad but even that doesn't remove the smell completely.

 

[McDonough]

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I've posted this before.My ex~Boss is a funeral director in Cleveland.He said the only odor that is even close is that of a rotten potato,its even worse than that. They no doubt have some sort of mask to wear when working with the body~maybe that is why it is often a closed casket.I imagine embalming would take away the chance of any strong odor.It is a putrid smell.Agh~~Nore

I believe that he said that embalming will stop the smell from progressing but it will not always remove the smell from the body. Once decomposition has started it isn't always possible to control the smell, even with embalming.