Decomp smell **REVISIT**

[Brini]

I don't know how long it takes for decomp to start, but I'll tell you this. My husband died in our bed. It took about 2 hours to have him removed from our home, and the smell left behind was bad. I had to remove all of the carpeting and have the AC ducts cleaned to rid the house of the smell of death.

,,,and Cayle died in FL in high summer. Wet and hot.

 

[RR0004]

I believe yes.

The actual body wasn't in the car when he picked it up. Depending upon where he hooked the car up and his sense of smell he might not have noticed.

Having no circulation during that two weeks time the smell would remain. Might even intensify as decomp of whatever fluids/tissue/etc. was there continued to permeate the interior. Especially in the Florida heat.

You seem to know you're stuff...but I can verify that very well could be. Everyone assumes there needed to be an odor prior to the car being left at the tow yard. The smell of decomp has a tough time penetrating steel (and brick).

 

[jandkmom]

When he picked up the car, even if he caught a whiff of a bad smell, he may have assumed it was something in the dumpster. After it got to the tow yard, he may not have been around the car much.

 

[Manny]

I don't understand, if Caylee was murdered or had an accident on June 17th and the car wasn't towed until the 30.. the guy didn't smell anything?? Even with a cold and all the theories about her carrying that child in the trunk for days doesn't make any sense to..the smell would have been overwhelming. Is it possible that the "event" was much later, around the 26th or 27th. Perhaps after a week or two the odor would be more pronounced. The car was towed on the 30th but wasn't picked up until a week or more later was it?

 

[jandkmom]

I think there was decomp in the trunk, but not enough at that time to be smelled too much because the car was still being used. After it was towed, it sat in the tow yard closed up and with the heat and the doors and trunk not being opened, was just overwhelming when finally opened up again.

 

[JusticeorJustUs]

You seem to know you're stuff...but I can verify that very well could be. Everyone assumes there needed to be an odor prior to the car being left at the tow yard. The smell of decomp has a tough time penetrating steel (and brick).

And what part of that vehicle was steel or brick?

Frame? The trunk and interior certainly weren't.

What part of that vehicle was steel or brick that would discredit a search dog's discovery/alert?

Not just for decomp. How about for drugs? Cash? Any other contraband?

What part of the vehicle is steel or brink that would prevent discovery?

Do tell?

 

[RR0004]

And what part of that vehicle was steel or brick?

Frame? The trunk and interior certainly weren't.

What part of that vehicle was steel or brick that would discredit a search dog's discovery/alert?

Not just for decomp. How about for drugs? Cash? Any other contraband?

What part of the vehicle is steel or brink that would prevent discovery?

Do tell?

I was just agreeing...there are some materials that can keep the smell from permeating through. The smell may not have been as obvious when the car was picked up by the tow operator, but days later when George arrived it was.
Yikes! I meant it when I said you knew your stuff.

 

[austin]

And there you go....At first I thought my article was amusing but it answers your ..ok not answers but there you go..this is where the A's are

Jaguar’s been cleaned but still stinks
By Tom & Ray Magliozzi/ Car Talk
Sunday, October 19, 2008

Dear Tom and Ray:

I was given a 1987 XJ6 Jag. She’s one fine-looking lady. But she smells. I recently spent $1,100 of my government stimulus check having the car completely cleaned on the inside. My mechanic (a very honest, small-town guy) took out all the carpeting and the seats, and cleaned them. He replaced the roof lining. He then scoured the entire inside of the car before putting the seats and carpet back. He used a cleaning machine recommended by another client who’d cleaned his pickup after a fire. He sprayed everything with Febreze and placed packs of charcoal under the seats. I picked it up after a month in the shop. It’s better. But only marginally. Any other suggestions (we’ve done the cut onions, the dryer sheets, an air freshener “bomb,” etc., prior to this very expensive last resort)? Help!

- Jill

TOM: You might want to try a real bomb next.

RAY: Actually, my brother had a similar problem with his ’74 Chevy Caprice Classic Convertible, Jill. It took us a long time to find the cause of the odor. But we finally figured it out. It was him.

TOM: There are two possibilities. One is that you’ve got a bad case of mold. Cleaning the seats and carpets might not be enough if you didn’t specifically treat for mold. You need bleach or a biocide to kill the spores. Soap, odor removers, onions and old gym socks are all useless against a huge mold spore invasion.

RAY: The other possibility is that a small animal died somewhere in the car. If a mouse or rat got stuck in a ventilation duct or in your air cleaner, it can produce a disgusting and almost unbearable odor that can last for months, until the carcass eventually disintegrates.

TOM: So, what you need is someone with a good nose. I’d help you myself, but mine’s just big, not particularly good.

RAY: You need to find someone who’s familiar with both of those smells. Your best bet is an automotive detailer, or someone who works in a body shop. Ask him or her to sniff your Jaguar. Make sure you give the appropriate background before making that request, because someone could take it the wrong way.

TOM: Once you know what you’re looking for, you can form a plan to get rid of it. Animal remains can be searched for and removed - or simply waited out. Moldy carpet and its underlying padding can be treated with a biocide, or can be replaced.

RAY: Or, here’s a creative approach. You already know of a cleaning machine that works on smoke odor. So, light the interior on fire, and then use the machine!

http://www.carfind.com/news/view.bg?articleid=1126386

 

[RR0004]

I think there was decomp in the trunk, but not enough at that time to be smelled too much because the car was still being used. After it was towed, it sat in the tow yard closed up and with the heat and the doors and trunk not being opened, was just overwhelming when finally opened up again.

I tend to agree. CA's reasoning (there was no odor) won't cut it.

 

[RR0004]

Austin...I've read this and had a good laugh. Are there other reasons the car smelled? I had a water issue in my old SUV. It was collecting in the undercarriage IIRC what the dealer told me. They told me that the mechanics got sick when they ripped up the carpet and smelled what was going on. I had smelt a "moldy" smell from the wet carpet which was the telltale sign there was something wrong. After they had removed the water, cleaned the car, and cleaned the carpet the smell was gone. I've smelt a dead body...it didn't smell the same.

 

[doogiesgirl]

As far as the tow truck driver not smelling the decomp smell as far as I remember in reading the DD is that he did not open the vehicle. Why would he smell it? I could be wrong but I remember reading that when GA went to tow yard to pick the car up, he was walked to the car with a worker and it wasn't until GA opened the car door that the smell hit the both of them like a brick. Right? The tow driver wasn't inside the car at the time of towing so he wouldn't have smelled it.

 

[RR0004]

As far as the tow truck driver not smelling the decomp smell as far as I remember in reading the DD is that he did not open the vehicle. Why would he smell it? I could be wrong but I remember reading that when GA went to tow yard to pick the car up, he was walked to the car with a worker and it wasn't until GA opened the car door that the smell hit the both of them like a brick. Right? The tow driver wasn't inside the car at the time of towing so he wouldn't have smelled it.

Like I said...Cindy's arguement just won't fly.

 

[JusticeorJustUs]

I was just agreeing...there are some materials that can keep the smell from permeating through. The smell may not have been as obvious when the car was picked up by the tow operator, but days later when George arrived it was.
Yikes! I meant it when I said you knew your stuff.

:blushing: I didn't mean to make it sound insulting or anything like that.

You are correct. The tow driver didn't need to open up the vehicle in order to tow it or store it. When GA opened it....Wow! Very obvious.

 

[austin]

Austin...I've read this and had a good laugh. Are there other reasons the car smelled? I had a water issue in my old SUV. It was collecting in the undercarriage IIRC what the dealer told me. They told me that the mechanics got sick when they ripped up the carpet and smelled what was going on. I had smelt a "moldy" smell from the wet carpet which was telltale sign there was something wrong. After they had removed the water, cleaned the car, and cleaned the carpet the smell was gone. I've smelt a dead body...it didn't smell the same.

Exactly..yes there are many reasons. I, having bought a flooded car for my son, agree with you. Just trying to make the point that there is no smell that compares to human decomp. But many people will give differing reasons for the smell in their car .. including defense agruments. Trying to stay on topic at the same time trying to give a chuckle..there is no explanation for the smell other than decomp.

 

[magic-cat]

From all reports from folks who have smelled actual human decomposition-ie: a dead body: There is nothing else that smells LIKE it or that can be mistaken FOR it. We know it was not pizza as Cindy suggests as there was NO pizza recovered in the car or in the bag that held the EMPTY pizza box. The FBI forensics report (preliminary) indicates HUMAN decomp in the car. The defense had best search far and wide for some "other" explanation than what they have demonstrated thus far (pizza, squirrels) because that just isn't going to work. It would be nice if a few of the jurors had actually smelled decomposition.

 

[impatientredhead]

I don't think the tow driver not smelling it is odd:

He does not state that he knows what decomp smells like, the owner of the lot said that he did (suicide victim).

He had a cold that day.

She was parked near a dumpster.

The owner of the lot said many of the cars have food etc left in them and smell horrible after sitting out in the sun. I know the smell is different, but if the driver hasn't been exposed to it before he wouldn't know.

The people on the lot, where the car sat for two weeks, didn't say that you could smell it just walking by it (I think the owner noticed it at one point when he realized the car had been there so long, but he had to get close to it to notice).

 

[kiki the parrot]

I believe even KC's friends reported there had been a foul smell but even if it was only KC herself who was explaining away the horrible stench which had permeated even the interior of the car, it must have been far worse after being closed up for two weeks (LA described it as pungent and overpowering even after being aired and probably cleaned), and just plain WRETCHED upon first opening the trunk itself... gag... JMO

 

[DotsEyes]

Well, if the odor permeated the car's interior, then just keep it locked up in the heat until trial and let the jurors take a sniff for themselves. It will still be there.

 

[essies]

Well, if the odor permeated the car's interior, then just keep it locked up in the heat until trial and let the jurors take a sniff for themselves. It will still be there.

Well, there's an interesting thought! Does the car still smell after all the testing and I'm sure pieces of it removed for testing?:waitasec:

 

[magic-cat]

Well, if the odor permeated the car's interior, then just keep it locked up in the heat until trial and let the jurors take a sniff for themselves. It will still be there.

I would almost bet they have every intention of allowing the jurors to smell the car. I would bet it smells as bad if not worse today than it did in the first days that it was confiscated.