# How recognizable is a dead body after 30-60 days?



## NewJeffCT (Aug 12, 2011)

If a body is hung and then left alone in an abandoned warehouse type of building, what would it look like after both 30 days and 60 days?  So, it would have protection from the elements like rain, wind and snow, but obviously not from things like rats, mice and maggots.  The season in game is late fall/early winter.  So, there could have been some freezing temperatures at night, but not every night.  (Highest temp likely would have been around 50)

Would it be recognizable after 30 days?  How about 60?

I did a quick google search and couldn't really find anything.

Thanks


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 12, 2011)

1) it depends heavily upon the environment: in Pheonix, AZ, it may look like jerky, but still recognizable.  If the building were in the countryside just outside Rio de Janiero, it might be skeletonized.

2) Have you tried asking a pathologist- see med schools, police departments, etc.- or a body farm? (Tell them it's research for a story you're writing.)


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## NewJeffCT (Aug 12, 2011)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> 1) it depends heavily upon the environment: in Pheonix, AZ, it may look like jerky, but still recognizable.  If the building were in the countryside just outside Rio de Janiero, it might be skeletonized.
> 
> 2) Have you tried asking a pathologist- see med schools, police departments, etc.- or a body farm? (Tell them it's research for a story you're writing.)




Thanks - good idea on med schools.  Hopefully, somebody can get back to me by this afternoon.

The climate would be farther north than Arizona - think more like New England in November/December.   Cool days, chilly nights, a decent amount of rainfall outside, and some evening snow/frost as you head into December.  So, I would assume the cool temperatures would preserve the body somewhat.

I'd give you XP, but I need to spread it around more first.


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## jonesy (Aug 12, 2011)

Pigs are similar to humans in a lot of things, and the wikipedia page on decomposition has illustrations for the pig stages:

Decomposition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lower on the page they talk about the factors affecting decomposition, and there's a little about the time frames.


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## Pilgrim (Aug 12, 2011)

Here is a website that may help you:

Stages of Decomposition - Australian Museum

But, of course, you'll want to take into consideration the environment factors increasing or slowing the rate of decay.


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## Rechan (Aug 12, 2011)

I took a class from the county ME. I can field this.

1) As aforementioned, one of the biggest effects is temperature. That's been covered though. Lower temperature means slower decomp. This also is an issue of if it's humid vs. dry. Dry is better. But it's rainy, so that's not good.

2) Second biggest influence is insect activity. Flies, ants, etc - if there's no bugs, it's going to impact things.

In normal conditions (let's say a body just laying in a clearing in spring time), the person is a skeleton in 3 weeks. 

I think in an area where the temperature is in the 40s with no flies or scavengers, 'recognizable' after 30 days would be Pushing it, but possible. You'd at least be able to tell the gender and race. 60? Hell no.


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## ExploderWizard (Aug 12, 2011)

If rats have access to the corpse for 30 days forget it, there wont be much but bones left.


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## Reynard (Aug 12, 2011)

Read Stiff by Mary Roach. Not only is it very informative on the subject, it's great fun too.


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## El Mahdi (Aug 12, 2011)

I think it would be very recognizable as a dead body almost immediately...


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## Ahnehnois (Aug 12, 2011)

The Quintessential Human said:
			
		

> Heal: Autopsy
> 
> Human inquisitiveness and human obsession with mortality combine in this curious use of the Heal skill. In their dedicated crusade to avoid death, humans have been studying it for years. They have dug up, dissected, illustrated, categorised and catalogued more specimens of the dead than any other race. Most of their medical practices and their understanding of anatomy have evolved from patient examination of the bodies of the dead. Field surgeons, confronted by ghastly wounds of all kinds, have been able to learn a good deal about healing techniques by studying those they were treating.
> 
> ...



An open content take on the subject.

Not much on the actual time though, so I'd still check those sources and use this if you need rules.


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## Dragonwriter (Aug 12, 2011)

Possibly Probably Almost-certainly not accurate on the subject, but it might give a little inspiration for setting the scene. 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtA1jqIJJDw&feature=related]Young Frankenstein Freshly dead - YouTube[/ame]

Anyway, as others have said, if insects and vermin have access, little-to-nothing will be left, especially after 30 days.


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## NewJeffCT (Aug 12, 2011)

Thanks for the responses so far.  The dead body situation is flexible enough where it could have been 30 days or 60 day or even 2 weeks.

The reason I ask is that an acquaintance of the PCs left their hometown about 3 months ago in game and journeyed to the city where they are now, but met with an untimely death.  I just wanted to see about how long since the death they would have to see if the corpse was still recognizable to them.  The consensus seems to be less than 30 days, but I'm sure since there was an evil ritual involved with his being slain, maybe the magic preserved his corpse a bit longer than usual?


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## Dragonwriter (Aug 12, 2011)

Depending on the game/edition, there are a number of ways for the decay to be halted.

D&D3/3.5: Gentle Repose spell is the simplest answer. It actually fully stops decay... but it wouldn't be hard to tweak the spell into "Slowed Rot" or something along those lines.

4E: Make up a ritual.

Either way, if an evil ritual was involved, the body could very well bear marks of the ritual. Cuts forming symbols and runes is classic imagery.


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## Janx (Aug 12, 2011)

and don't forget the temperature.

I'm from MN.  By december, it's freezing.  certainly below freezing by the second half.  I don't know what new england is like, but it is also "farther up north".  So its probably also mostly cold by then (though probably not AS cold).  Google requires more reading, but does imply, it's also a cold place.

And if the body is hanging in a warehouse, the number of rats climbing down the chain/rope to eat on it is greatly diminished.

that place will probably have more in common with a refrigerator than anything else.  I wouldn't want to eat him, but odds are good nothing much else has either.


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## NewJeffCT (Aug 12, 2011)

Dragonwriter said:


> Depending on the game/edition, there are a number of ways for the decay to be halted.
> 
> D&D3/3.5: Gentle Repose spell is the simplest answer. It actually fully stops decay... but it wouldn't be hard to tweak the spell into "Slowed Rot" or something along those lines.
> 
> ...




Thanks - it's a 4E game.  However, the bad guys got to this NPC and did their evil ritual on him, and then left his body there for reasons unknown to the PCs.  So, I can just say the ritual left this NPC's body barely recognizable...


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## NewJeffCT (Aug 12, 2011)

Janx said:


> and don't forget the temperature.
> 
> I'm from MN.  By december, it's freezing.  certainly below freezing by the second half.  I don't know what new england is like, but it is also "farther up north".  So its probably also mostly cold by then (though probably not AS cold).  Google requires more reading, but does imply, it's also a cold place.
> 
> ...




My wife was contacted by a company in the Minn/St. Paul area several years back and we looked into the area and the climate, and I think MN is generally colder than southern New England (where I am located), but it is also more dry in MN.


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## amerigoV (Aug 12, 2011)

Appearantly in Oakland, bodies decay before they are even dead! (or they are particularly well preserved long after death - not sure which)


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## NewJeffCT (Aug 12, 2011)

amerigoV said:


> Appearantly in Oakland, bodies decay before they are even dead! (or they are particularly well preserved long after death - not sure which)




You got ahold of Al Davis' audition as an extra for season 2 of "The Walking Dead"!


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## UnknownAtThisTime (Aug 12, 2011)

NewJeffCT said:


> You got ahold of Al Davis' audition as an extra for season 2 of "The Walking Dead"!




I must correct you.  That is the Cryptkeeper.


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## jmucchiello (Aug 12, 2011)

If you want the party to be able to recognize their dead friend. Give him a ring or a necklace that they know he always wore. Just make it cheap so the cultists don't steal it. Then no matter what the state of the body, they can still identify it.


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