Hi all!
I just had a quick question (actually two) that I was hoping somebody could shed some light on for me or at least point me in the right direction. Does anybody know about how long it takes a human body buried in a wooden casket to decompose? And what sort of stages of decomposition does the body goes through? I searched the internet for about an hour last night to no avail. Please help if you know. Thanks.
Gatsby
Might want to look a little harder next time. Have you tried the archives.
I did check the archives and I did indeed find that article. It partially addressed my second question, but offers very little to the first. I want a better timeframe. For example, how long is it until all that is left are bones? I could have pretty much figured out on my own that after six months the body would be discolored and have mold on it. And even if it is unpredicatable the rate at which a corpse decomposes, it would seem that there might be an average. That’s really all I’m looking for.
IMHO, it seems that the answer is: No one knows.
There is an very approximate answer for generally average conditions, but that’s about it. Decomp varies a lot depending on conditions. There are a number of forensic research joints all over the country that are working on this question based on their local climate conditons --the most famous (the first?) is in Tennessee, called the “Bone Farm” by some, and BARF by others. It’s been on TV and it totally toss-your-lunch gross. A body left in an unventilated, dry, warm place inaccessible to insects, mice, etc. like perhaps the attic of the Bates Motel might dry out and “mummify” --not really decompose much at all— while one left outdoors and completely uncovered during a normal Maryland summer would probably be bare bones in two to three weeks, tops. There are a lot of variables to be considered.