If you’ve worked any job long enough, chances are you’ve collected a few stories: some funny, some frustrating, and some you’ll never forget. But certain professions come with experiences far outside the ordinary, the kind that stay with you long after your shift ends.
When someone online asked people who work in morgues or with the dead to share the creepiest things they’ve witnessed, the responses were deeply unsettling. Scroll on to read them, but be warned, some of these stories are genuinely disturbing.
#1
Sometimes when people have died, and we turn them over to clean and dress them, they still have air in their lungs and will make grunting noises when moved. Scared the c**p out of me, the first time I experienced it.
LostDogBoulderUtah:
My grandpa had a related experience in Vietnam. He was helping wash and prepare bodies for transport home under the direction of the coroner, who had warned them about the bodies making noises when moved. After a bit, Grandpa asked the coroner how the body he was washing could cry. The coroner repeated the lecture about air being pushed out and grandpa said that he got that part, but how did that form tears?
He said things got very busy after that.
Grandpa's assigned corpse was not actually passed, just suffering a LOT of blood loss and very very cold. Dude got 5 liters of blood, some of it from my grandpa, and then he flew home to spend the rest of the war recovering.
LostDogBoulderUtah:
My grandpa had a related experience in Vietnam. He was helping wash and prepare bodies for transport home under the direction of the coroner, who had warned them about the bodies making noises when moved. After a bit, Grandpa asked the coroner how the body he was washing could cry. The coroner repeated the lecture about air being pushed out and grandpa said that he got that part, but how did that form tears?
He said things got very busy after that.
Grandpa's assigned corpse was not actually passed, just suffering a LOT of blood loss and very very cold. Dude got 5 liters of blood, some of it from my grandpa, and then he flew home to spend the rest of the war recovering.
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44points
#2
I was part of search and rescue for 3 years. I was in the scuba team so we were responsible for finding the usually dead people at sea. The salt water adds so much horror to a body. Not to mention the fish that usually will start picking on a corpse sooner than later.
My creepiest experience was trying to find the body of a Jane doe was missing. She was brought over by human trafficking. Turns out she slit her wrist parallel to her veins and jumped into this rocky and sharp outcrop into the sea.
We went diving in less than ideal conditions. It was low visibility and waves. My scuba buddy and I were looking at a outcrop when suddenly out of the darkest a deep blue hand emerged from this little cavern in the rocks. It began twitching and moving and as we tried to pull the hand the rest of the corpse emerged. She was being picked on by Moray eels (hence the twitching) which emerged with bits of human flesh in their mouths. Her mouth was wide open in a scream position and her eyes were gone. You can see tendons and bones in her hands and the sharp rocks tore her entire body to shreds in various spots. Her toes were mostly gone too with some bits of bone sticking out.
To this day it haunts me. The worst was pulling her out and swimming with the body as eels and fish followed us, occasionally picking on bits of flesh.
DeeMarie0824:
Reading this made my heart sink. It’s even more gut wrenching knowing her circumstances. It really breaks my heart but I’m touched that you went to her funeral. Someone out there (you) demonstrated that you cared about her. I think that speaks volumes and I hope that gave her some final peace.
My creepiest experience was trying to find the body of a Jane doe was missing. She was brought over by human trafficking. Turns out she slit her wrist parallel to her veins and jumped into this rocky and sharp outcrop into the sea.
We went diving in less than ideal conditions. It was low visibility and waves. My scuba buddy and I were looking at a outcrop when suddenly out of the darkest a deep blue hand emerged from this little cavern in the rocks. It began twitching and moving and as we tried to pull the hand the rest of the corpse emerged. She was being picked on by Moray eels (hence the twitching) which emerged with bits of human flesh in their mouths. Her mouth was wide open in a scream position and her eyes were gone. You can see tendons and bones in her hands and the sharp rocks tore her entire body to shreds in various spots. Her toes were mostly gone too with some bits of bone sticking out.
To this day it haunts me. The worst was pulling her out and swimming with the body as eels and fish followed us, occasionally picking on bits of flesh.
DeeMarie0824:
Reading this made my heart sink. It’s even more gut wrenching knowing her circumstances. It really breaks my heart but I’m touched that you went to her funeral. Someone out there (you) demonstrated that you cared about her. I think that speaks volumes and I hope that gave her some final peace.
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29points
#3
I worked at a funeral home for quite awhile. When I first started, about a month in, I was working a holiday weekend. Only people working were the transport guys & me. They came to drop off a body & went right back out. I thought they were still there and needed to ask a question. I walked into the embalming area & this dude was SITTING UP ON THE GURNEY looking right at me when I opened the door and it literally made me pee a little in fright.
Turns out the transport guys picked up the body from an area hospital. He'd passed away while in a slightly reclining position & rigor had set in. They couldn't flatten him out. Still the scariest moment in my career, even if I got a laugh out of it later.
bhedesigns:
You KNOW they bolted like that on purpose!!!!
Turns out the transport guys picked up the body from an area hospital. He'd passed away while in a slightly reclining position & rigor had set in. They couldn't flatten him out. Still the scariest moment in my career, even if I got a laugh out of it later.
bhedesigns:
You KNOW they bolted like that on purpose!!!!
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26points
Losing someone close to you is never easy, and death often feels both emotional and mysterious at the same time. Beyond the grief, many people don’t realize that the body begins changing almost immediately after life ends. Death isn’t a single moment but a process, and the body slowly adjusts to this new state. In the first hours and days, several physical shifts occur as circulation stops and organs shut down. These changes are natural and predictable, even if they may sound unsettling at first. Understanding them can help remove some of the fear and confusion around death. It reminds us that what happens afterward is simply biology doing its job. In many ways, the body is just following its final routine.
#4
I work as a Motor Vehicle Collision Analyst. We get called to fatal vehicle collisions and reconstruct what happened/caused the collision, provide analysis and provide courts with expert testimony.
I've seen a lot of deceased persons and animals. I've seen almost every wretched way a human can died in a collision. However, there is one, that stays with me every fall.
In late October I get called out to a fatal single vehicle incident. The driver was traveling through a shallow S curve but going too fast. She was not able to negotiate the first turn and her vehicle enters into critical velocity, the wheels buckle on the passenger side and she rolls.
She was not wearing her seatbelt and through the first roll was partially ejected out the drivers side window. Her skull was crushed between the outside of the door and the road; and continued to flop partially ejected as the vehicle rolled. The skull was split from her left eye to the right rear behind her ear. This caused her brain matter to be strewn about the road and car. Her body was eventually thrown from the vehicle and came to rest on the side of the road.
One aspect of the job requires an inspection of the bodies to look for evidence. I approach the body, that is facing upright on her back. The skull was very open and I could clearly see the inside cavity of the skull with no brain. The brain was deposited in chunks on the road and has a distinct smell. This scene didn't bother me at the time, I was more fascinated than anything at the time.
A few hours later I get a call from my wife, just asking how the days is going. I told her I was on scene and couldn't talk too long. She then asks if I will be working late tonight or be home on time because tonight we were going to be carving pumpkins with the kids........
Years later I still can't carve pumpkins and kids have no idea why.
I've seen a lot of deceased persons and animals. I've seen almost every wretched way a human can died in a collision. However, there is one, that stays with me every fall.
In late October I get called out to a fatal single vehicle incident. The driver was traveling through a shallow S curve but going too fast. She was not able to negotiate the first turn and her vehicle enters into critical velocity, the wheels buckle on the passenger side and she rolls.
She was not wearing her seatbelt and through the first roll was partially ejected out the drivers side window. Her skull was crushed between the outside of the door and the road; and continued to flop partially ejected as the vehicle rolled. The skull was split from her left eye to the right rear behind her ear. This caused her brain matter to be strewn about the road and car. Her body was eventually thrown from the vehicle and came to rest on the side of the road.
One aspect of the job requires an inspection of the bodies to look for evidence. I approach the body, that is facing upright on her back. The skull was very open and I could clearly see the inside cavity of the skull with no brain. The brain was deposited in chunks on the road and has a distinct smell. This scene didn't bother me at the time, I was more fascinated than anything at the time.
A few hours later I get a call from my wife, just asking how the days is going. I told her I was on scene and couldn't talk too long. She then asks if I will be working late tonight or be home on time because tonight we were going to be carving pumpkins with the kids........
Years later I still can't carve pumpkins and kids have no idea why.
23points
#5
My first job was at a cemetery. We had a common burial (someone who cannot afford a casket or vault) They are provided a wood frame and cardboard casket. We dug the hole the night before. It rained heavily that night. The next day after the ceremony we lowered the "casket" into the water filled hole. It just floated on top. So, we used a backhoe bucket to push it down. The "casket" fell apart and the body slid out and floated. We pushed her down and filled the hole. I protested, but was told this is how things were done. I still feel bad about it.
Bliss21s:
I actually really like the idea of being buried in the ground, I think it’s weird to be in a coffin. Returning to the soil is natural! I don’t think there is anything wrong with what happened. Actually if it were my body, I would think this situation was kind of funny, maybe she was a jokester and she wanted one last laugh. When we spread my Uncles ashes a huge gust of wind blew ash into his little brothers mouth (now an adult), and he was spitting, crying, and laughing because he had messed with his little brother his whole life and we knew his big bro was getting one last prank in.
Bliss21s:
I actually really like the idea of being buried in the ground, I think it’s weird to be in a coffin. Returning to the soil is natural! I don’t think there is anything wrong with what happened. Actually if it were my body, I would think this situation was kind of funny, maybe she was a jokester and she wanted one last laugh. When we spread my Uncles ashes a huge gust of wind blew ash into his little brothers mouth (now an adult), and he was spitting, crying, and laughing because he had messed with his little brother his whole life and we knew his big bro was getting one last prank in.
21points
#6
My wife is a mortician. she's had quite a lot of wacky experiences. this is more funny than creepy, but once she was trying to break up the rigor mortis in a decedent's hip by flexing the entire leg up. her grip slipped and the leg swung down, the heel cracking her right in the face, resulting in a black eye. she had to explain to people that she's not in an a*****e relationship, she just got kicked in the face by a dead guy.
highstreethellcat:
My sister’s friend was a mortician. A local shop was giving discounts to first responders on 9/11 so she asked, what about us last responders?
highstreethellcat:
My sister’s friend was a mortician. A local shop was giving discounts to first responders on 9/11 so she asked, what about us last responders?
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20points
Right after death, the muscles in the body relax completely. This includes the muscles that control the bladder and bowels, which is why it’s common for the body to release waste at the time of death. The same relaxation can cause the face and skin to soften, sometimes making bones and facial structure more visible. This isn’t something dramatic or unusual, it’s simply what happens when tension disappears from the body. These early changes are part of the body’s natural shutdown process. They may feel surprising to learn about, but they are completely normal. In short, the body is letting go of the physical strain it once held.
#7
A friend told me this story ages ago, and I hope I remember it well enough. When he was 18, he worked for a single-plane transport contractor, and one time they had to carry a body. It wasn't autopsied or prepared for funeral yet, that was where they were taking it. So it was wrapped and just sort of laying on the floor.
Now when you're in the air, I'm sure other pilots will tell you, the rise and fall of the airplane will do strange things with gravity, air pressure, and necromancy. In any case, the corpse had enough air in its lungs that the lower pressure outside the body caused the air inside to be expelled, slowly, and through the larynx. Meanwhile rise and fall of the plane caused the body to sit up and the wrapping to fall away. Sitting up caused it to expel more air from the lungs. So while flying a dead body in the plane, they heard a long low moan, and saw a dead body sit up in the back of the plane.
The pilot panicked, left the controls, and ran back and PUNCHED the corpse across the face, knocking it back down. He told me about how they figured out what happened, but I was laughing too hard at that point to really pick up the details.
I do remember that they had to explain the additional damage to the corpse when they arrived at their destination.
SmileyRhea:
So if the passed away guy was coming back, dude's first instinct is to punch him back to the afterlife.
Now when you're in the air, I'm sure other pilots will tell you, the rise and fall of the airplane will do strange things with gravity, air pressure, and necromancy. In any case, the corpse had enough air in its lungs that the lower pressure outside the body caused the air inside to be expelled, slowly, and through the larynx. Meanwhile rise and fall of the plane caused the body to sit up and the wrapping to fall away. Sitting up caused it to expel more air from the lungs. So while flying a dead body in the plane, they heard a long low moan, and saw a dead body sit up in the back of the plane.
The pilot panicked, left the controls, and ran back and PUNCHED the corpse across the face, knocking it back down. He told me about how they figured out what happened, but I was laughing too hard at that point to really pick up the details.
I do remember that they had to explain the additional damage to the corpse when they arrived at their destination.
SmileyRhea:
So if the passed away guy was coming back, dude's first instinct is to punch him back to the afterlife.
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20points
#8
Worked at a mortuary for a few years. We have methods to keep the jaw shut for viewing, otherwise it would gap open due to the angle of the head and neck. During a viewing the device failed and this gentleman’s mouth literally popped open. The lead embalmer was not on site so I did my best. Ushered the family out of the room and superglued his mouth shut, but he didn’t have teeth and supergluing just his lips did NOT work. It looked as if he was attempting to scream. I had to call in one of our other mortuaries in town and that embalmer used a giant needle and thread to sew his mouth shut from under his chin to his palate.
creditspread:
Wow, the things we take for granted at viewings. There must be a ton of work to prep and maintain behind the scenes.
creditspread:
Wow, the things we take for granted at viewings. There must be a ton of work to prep and maintain behind the scenes.
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19points
#9
One of the decedent"s grandsons faked a breakdown over the casket. He stole all her jewelry. Didn't take long to figure out and a large brawl broke out. Jewelry was retrieved.
Two weeks later grandson turns up needing to be processed and buried. Creepy as hell.
noodlyarms:
If only he could have paid off that debt collector.
Two weeks later grandson turns up needing to be processed and buried. Creepy as hell.
noodlyarms:
If only he could have paid off that debt collector.
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18points
Once the heart stops pumping, blood no longer circulates and instead settles due to gravity. This pooling of blood causes the skin to develop purplish or reddish patches in areas closest to the ground. This process is called lividity, and it helps professionals understand how long someone has been deceased or whether the body has been moved. The discoloration can look alarming, but it’s simply physics at work. Without circulation, blood has nowhere else to go. Over time, these patches may darken and become more noticeable. It’s one of the many visible signs that the body is transitioning after death.
#10
Before covid, I worked at a funeral home that wasn't particularly well run. I was a funeral assistant, and one of the embalmers was notoriously difficult to deal with. Her name was AJ.
About 4 days before this story, AJ had picked up a deceased man who had died of septicemia and who was to be cremated due to the fact he was already in a bad state on death. So AJ had the brilliant idea to leave this gentleman on the rolling cot for four days unrefrigerated, figuring it wouldn't matter since he was being cremated and it was a slow week.
Of course, I got the job of moving him to the crematory with AJ. We walked into the embalming room and found that the decedent had bloated and was leaking a grey liquid sludge out of his urinary catheter onto the floor. If pestilence had a smell, it would've been this liquid. It smelled like a warning to the base lizard part of my brain. To describe this liquid as smelling bad is an understatement. The liquid was something you could feel and sense in the air.
AJ and I donned our gear, and luckily since she placed him on a cot already, we didn't have to do much in the ways of moving the body. Unluckily, the cot was relatively old and one of the cot wheels had to be manually unlocked using hands, as the foot pedal was too rusted to effectively use.
AJ told me to unlock it, and so I carefully bent down and unlocked the wheel. Well, AJ got the bright idea to shake the cot violently as some sort of prank, sending the grey liquid over the edge directly onto the top of my head, dripping down under my eye protection and mask. I closed my lips and eyes so the liquid running over them would stay out of my body, and calmly walked to the employee bathroom in a sort of numb state of shock. The funeral home owners saw my sludgy appearance and sent me home paid for the rest of the day.
Crappler319:
"Welp, AJ. Looks like I'll be cremating two bodies today."
About 4 days before this story, AJ had picked up a deceased man who had died of septicemia and who was to be cremated due to the fact he was already in a bad state on death. So AJ had the brilliant idea to leave this gentleman on the rolling cot for four days unrefrigerated, figuring it wouldn't matter since he was being cremated and it was a slow week.
Of course, I got the job of moving him to the crematory with AJ. We walked into the embalming room and found that the decedent had bloated and was leaking a grey liquid sludge out of his urinary catheter onto the floor. If pestilence had a smell, it would've been this liquid. It smelled like a warning to the base lizard part of my brain. To describe this liquid as smelling bad is an understatement. The liquid was something you could feel and sense in the air.
AJ and I donned our gear, and luckily since she placed him on a cot already, we didn't have to do much in the ways of moving the body. Unluckily, the cot was relatively old and one of the cot wheels had to be manually unlocked using hands, as the foot pedal was too rusted to effectively use.
AJ told me to unlock it, and so I carefully bent down and unlocked the wheel. Well, AJ got the bright idea to shake the cot violently as some sort of prank, sending the grey liquid over the edge directly onto the top of my head, dripping down under my eye protection and mask. I closed my lips and eyes so the liquid running over them would stay out of my body, and calmly walked to the employee bathroom in a sort of numb state of shock. The funeral home owners saw my sludgy appearance and sent me home paid for the rest of the day.
Crappler319:
"Welp, AJ. Looks like I'll be cremating two bodies today."
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17points
#11
I watched 2 young children's corpses fry with electricity.
We responded to an electrocution. A fault caused electricity to be traveling down the stabilizing cables of the electrical pole. A little kid touched that cable and got shocked, causing his hand to grasp tighter. His little buddy must have seen it and grabbed him. By the time we got there they were both dead, but still electrified. We couldn't safely approach until the electricity department cut the power. So we sat there and watched these two little bodies twitch and spark. Was like a horror movie.
BaconAndCats:
The only solace I get from this is that they most likely didn't experience any of it. I've been electrocuted with high voltage and its a very strange experience when your brain reboots after its over. During the electrocution there's no consciousness. Its like the feeling just after watching a really long, really engrossing movie and it cuts to credits, jolting you back to reality, but times 10.
We responded to an electrocution. A fault caused electricity to be traveling down the stabilizing cables of the electrical pole. A little kid touched that cable and got shocked, causing his hand to grasp tighter. His little buddy must have seen it and grabbed him. By the time we got there they were both dead, but still electrified. We couldn't safely approach until the electricity department cut the power. So we sat there and watched these two little bodies twitch and spark. Was like a horror movie.
BaconAndCats:
The only solace I get from this is that they most likely didn't experience any of it. I've been electrocuted with high voltage and its a very strange experience when your brain reboots after its over. During the electrocution there's no consciousness. Its like the feeling just after watching a really long, really engrossing movie and it cuts to credits, jolting you back to reality, but times 10.
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15points
#12
I spent 3 year working in a NYC ER.
On the fourth of july one year, it was a pleasantly slow day as holidays typically are. We had a red phone that ems would call to let us know about a patient coming in, maybe a heart attack or a stroke or someone actively getting cpr. Usually about 5-10 minutes out.
This day I picked up the phone and dispatch said a gunshot victim was coming in. We are not a level I trauma hospital so getting a gunshot victim is exceedingly rare. It means they're nearby and on the brink of death so they can't afford the time to go to the trauma center. No eta on this guy. Well after I hung up ems was rolling in doing compressions.
Very very few people survive a cardiac arrest due to trauma. His odds were not in his favor, and after opening his chest up to plug the holes in the heart, we called it. He was gone. He didn't have any id on him so we had no way of even identifying him or contacting family.
It was the first time I'd ever been in an active crime scene...A homicide investigation began to unfold. It was surreal having to allow men in suits to take photos of my patient.
I go on my lunch break and have my ceremonial mcdonalds after a difficult case. I come back and thankfully homicide is done with the er and he is in the morgue.
A bit later we found out the police figured out this guy's identity which was a huge relief to us.
Later on my charge nurse informs me that homicide tried to go to our morgue but there was no body. Truly, they searched everywhere. His body was gone.
About 3 surreal hours later we found out that there's a separate morgue for unidentified patients. They were looking in the wrong morgue and we didn't know it for 3 hours. But for those 3 schrodinger cat hours we had lost a homicide victim's body.
On the fourth of july one year, it was a pleasantly slow day as holidays typically are. We had a red phone that ems would call to let us know about a patient coming in, maybe a heart attack or a stroke or someone actively getting cpr. Usually about 5-10 minutes out.
This day I picked up the phone and dispatch said a gunshot victim was coming in. We are not a level I trauma hospital so getting a gunshot victim is exceedingly rare. It means they're nearby and on the brink of death so they can't afford the time to go to the trauma center. No eta on this guy. Well after I hung up ems was rolling in doing compressions.
Very very few people survive a cardiac arrest due to trauma. His odds were not in his favor, and after opening his chest up to plug the holes in the heart, we called it. He was gone. He didn't have any id on him so we had no way of even identifying him or contacting family.
It was the first time I'd ever been in an active crime scene...A homicide investigation began to unfold. It was surreal having to allow men in suits to take photos of my patient.
I go on my lunch break and have my ceremonial mcdonalds after a difficult case. I come back and thankfully homicide is done with the er and he is in the morgue.
A bit later we found out the police figured out this guy's identity which was a huge relief to us.
Later on my charge nurse informs me that homicide tried to go to our morgue but there was no body. Truly, they searched everywhere. His body was gone.
About 3 surreal hours later we found out that there's a separate morgue for unidentified patients. They were looking in the wrong morgue and we didn't know it for 3 hours. But for those 3 schrodinger cat hours we had lost a homicide victim's body.
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15points
Some people are surprised to learn that bodies can occasionally make sounds after death. This doesn’t mean the person is alive or conscious, it’s simply trapped air escaping the lungs. If the body is moved, rolled, or pressed, air can travel up the windpipe and vibrate the vocal cords. This can create faint noises like sighs, groans, or squeaks. While it may sound eerie, it’s purely mechanical, not intentional. No sound will come out unless something physically pushes the air upward.
#13
Human osteologist here. I work with dry human bones, so they don’t do too much. But one of the one times I’ve ever gotten “the creeps” was when I was handling a crania in the collection and could hear the wisdom teeth shaking around, partially formed but not quite erupted, in the mandible. Wisdom teeth form around 18 years old and erupt generally in late teens or early 20s. I, at the time, was about 20 and my wisdom teeth were just coming through. I realized these remains belonged to a girl about my age that’s that’s probably exactly what my skull looks like. It really humanized things for me.
wakka55:
Adult teeth don't grow in, they're already stored away full size in the skull, in skull holes behind the gums, waiting for the milk teeth to fall out, lurking...
wakka55:
Adult teeth don't grow in, they're already stored away full size in the skull, in skull holes behind the gums, waiting for the milk teeth to fall out, lurking...
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13points
#14
Attended a suspected fire once where we could smell smoke but couldn't locate the fire. Eventually located it and when we entered the house there was an old woman slumped over on the floor. Tried to turn her over but couldnt. Turned out that she had been laid on one of the old bar type heaters and because the heat was not allowed to escape it had burnt a hole through the floorboards and the heater fell through the hole. However, when she was laid on it her body fats started to melt and run into the floorboards then when the heater fell through she cooled. By the time we got there she was one with the floor. Two of us to get shovels under her to roll her over.
It was years before I could eat smoky bacon flavour crisps again.
Nxtgenkiwi-13:
Did she collapse and fall on the heater? I need to know more!
OP:
Haha, yeah this question bugged me at the time as well. She was apparently fairly frail and quite often fell.
WARNING - I have added more detail below in case you want it, but it is not for the squimish. Do not read on if you don't want to read it.
For a bit more info (because I know you want it) when the ambulance turned up they took 3 steps through the front door took one sniff of the smell and said "yeah, we're not needed!" So the mortuary guys came to take her away. However, because if the circumstances it has to be a doctor who signs of that she is actually dead (officially called 'pronounces life extinct') so I went with them to the nearest hospital to grab the duty doc. As he came out he said to me "it's not a bad one is it?" I said "I have seen worse", we unzipped the bag and he put the stethoscope on her and said "oh god, she's still hot!". In fairness, she was a bit toasty. Because she had kinda been grilled instead of flamed her skin had contracted and she looked like a mummy and some of the skin had started to split.
It was years before I could eat smoky bacon flavour crisps again.
Nxtgenkiwi-13:
Did she collapse and fall on the heater? I need to know more!
OP:
Haha, yeah this question bugged me at the time as well. She was apparently fairly frail and quite often fell.
WARNING - I have added more detail below in case you want it, but it is not for the squimish. Do not read on if you don't want to read it.
For a bit more info (because I know you want it) when the ambulance turned up they took 3 steps through the front door took one sniff of the smell and said "yeah, we're not needed!" So the mortuary guys came to take her away. However, because if the circumstances it has to be a doctor who signs of that she is actually dead (officially called 'pronounces life extinct') so I went with them to the nearest hospital to grab the duty doc. As he came out he said to me "it's not a bad one is it?" I said "I have seen worse", we unzipped the bag and he put the stethoscope on her and said "oh god, she's still hot!". In fairness, she was a bit toasty. Because she had kinda been grilled instead of flamed her skin had contracted and she looked like a mummy and some of the skin had started to split.
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12points
#15
Had a DNR (Do-Not-Resuscitate) patient that had just died, there was about 5 witnesses comfirming death.
So first step in these situations is extubation. I pulled the ETT and OG tube, gathered those and the vent circuit, turned around to throw it all in the trash, and then heard a really loud gasp and loud breathing and I d**n near jumped out of the window... On the 7th floor
She came back to life, her heart started on its own
Jesus Christ man
Jesus Christ.
blood_lord_omega:
ICU RN here- I've witnessed this once before and it's seriously TERRIFYING. They never end up lasting more than an hour more but still.
Anon:
Did she say what she saw during her outing? Like angels, tunnel, God, relatives etc.?
OP:
She wasn't responsive at baseline. she was in her 90s with multisystem organ failure by that point, she just barely held on for a handful of hours with a heart rate of like 35 and a blood pressure of 65/45.
I mean, she was effectively dead. a MAP that low isnt enough to perfuse the entire body, so her peripherals were pretty much dead already.
So first step in these situations is extubation. I pulled the ETT and OG tube, gathered those and the vent circuit, turned around to throw it all in the trash, and then heard a really loud gasp and loud breathing and I d**n near jumped out of the window... On the 7th floor
She came back to life, her heart started on its own
Jesus Christ man
Jesus Christ.
blood_lord_omega:
ICU RN here- I've witnessed this once before and it's seriously TERRIFYING. They never end up lasting more than an hour more but still.
Anon:
Did she say what she saw during her outing? Like angels, tunnel, God, relatives etc.?
OP:
She wasn't responsive at baseline. she was in her 90s with multisystem organ failure by that point, she just barely held on for a handful of hours with a heart rate of like 35 and a blood pressure of 65/45.
I mean, she was effectively dead. a MAP that low isnt enough to perfuse the entire body, so her peripherals were pretty much dead already.
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12points
After death, the body also begins to cool down gradually. This process, known as algor mortis, happens because the body is no longer generating heat. On average, body temperature drops by about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit per hour, though this can vary depending on the environment. Eventually, the body temperature matches the surrounding room or outdoor conditions. This cooling helps forensic experts estimate time of death. In essence, the body slowly returns to the temperature of the world around it.
#16
Funeral director here! Many stories.
But the creepiest and saddest story was we had this old veteran who passed. And at the end of a funeral there was this man in a wheelchair go up to the casket. Turns out they were buddies when they were drafted and same unit. And later in life they shared a room at a VA nursing home.
He said in a very shaky and sad voice,
"I'll see you soon Stormy" (the DC's army nickname)
That man passed away shortly after.
But the creepiest and saddest story was we had this old veteran who passed. And at the end of a funeral there was this man in a wheelchair go up to the casket. Turns out they were buddies when they were drafted and same unit. And later in life they shared a room at a VA nursing home.
He said in a very shaky and sad voice,
"I'll see you soon Stormy" (the DC's army nickname)
That man passed away shortly after.
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#17
People who had been on blood thinner medication before they died can make for a odd scene. Saw a guy that had died looking out of his window so he was discovered with his head on the windowsill and there was a thick colum of "jellied" blood from his nose to the floor. It was a bit freaky.
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11points
#18
Not necessarily the creepiest thing but
The funeral home I worked for liked to embalm as soon as possible after death.
I had embalmed a man that was dead for less than 30mins-an hour. He was still warm and rigor had not set in yet.
I kinda just held his hand for a minute before I got started.
big_d_usernametaken:
When my wife passed away suddenly, I was sitting with her in the ER, and when I came back in, they had her swaddled, like an infant.
I managed to get her hand out, and was holding her hand thinking that as long as I was holding it, it wouldn't get cold..
The funeral home I worked for liked to embalm as soon as possible after death.
I had embalmed a man that was dead for less than 30mins-an hour. He was still warm and rigor had not set in yet.
I kinda just held his hand for a minute before I got started.
big_d_usernametaken:
When my wife passed away suddenly, I was sitting with her in the ER, and when I came back in, they had her swaddled, like an infant.
I managed to get her hand out, and was holding her hand thinking that as long as I was holding it, it wouldn't get cold..
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11points
Another well-known change after death is the stiffening of the body, called rigor mortis. This happens because muscles no longer receive energy from cells, causing them to lock in place. The stiffness usually begins in the face and neck, then moves down into the torso. Gradually, it spreads to the arms, legs, fingers, and toes. This process can take several hours to fully develop. Eventually, the stiffness fades again as tissues break down.
#19
EMT in a past life. We get a call for someone who has no pulse, not breathing. The first on scene is a cop, and my partner and I arrive shortly after. The guy is in his bathroom (that happens very frequently, btw), deceased, but still recently enough that we should make attempts to save him. It's a little tight in the room, but we manage to place a backboard on the floor and just need to get him onto it to start compressions.
I take the guy's airway and head, my partner takes the guy's chest and shoulders, and the cop gets his legs. We lift him to the backboard and, it turns out, he has a prosthetic foot. Our officers already felt over their heads on med calls, so when this cop was left with a foot in his hand and nothing else, he literally ran out of the room.
Not creepy to my partner and myself (we could add diabetes to a likely med history), but the officer, man... lmao.
e_lizz:
I'm imagining him running away screaming with the prosthetic in his hand.
I take the guy's airway and head, my partner takes the guy's chest and shoulders, and the cop gets his legs. We lift him to the backboard and, it turns out, he has a prosthetic foot. Our officers already felt over their heads on med calls, so when this cop was left with a foot in his hand and nothing else, he literally ran out of the room.
Not creepy to my partner and myself (we could add diabetes to a likely med history), but the officer, man... lmao.
e_lizz:
I'm imagining him running away screaming with the prosthetic in his hand.
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#20
The creepiest thing is the f*****g curtain of flies and maggots blanketing the floor of an apartment where a woman had been decomposing in the hot late August/early September sun for 3 weeks before she was discovered. I thought it was dark in that apartment, but there were simply that many flies caught in the glass covering the lightbulbs. On the ceiling. The floor lamp. The stovetop light. Every. Single. Light. Was covered in flies. The windows were dark with flies. Dead flies, and even more flies than that on the window panes. It was a horror movie.
She was melted into the couch. When we tried to pick her up, her spine just... Fell outside of the rest of her body and she ended up in pieces.
I guess it's less creepy and more skin crawling... But I HATE flies and maggots. Freshly dead, I can deal with. Decomp in and of itself is fine. But the sight of those flies was just 🤢 I'm pretty sure I threw out the clothes I wore that day. I just couldn't.
She was melted into the couch. When we tried to pick her up, her spine just... Fell outside of the rest of her body and she ended up in pieces.
I guess it's less creepy and more skin crawling... But I HATE flies and maggots. Freshly dead, I can deal with. Decomp in and of itself is fine. But the sight of those flies was just 🤢 I'm pretty sure I threw out the clothes I wore that day. I just couldn't.
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