I was reading a book, and a kid witnessed one guy who knifed another guy (quite repeatedly and completely) and then threw the body in the river. The kid decides to tell his grandfather about it. The grandfather told the boy that since the body was gutted, it wouldn’t float to the surface, it would sink and then the channel catfish would take care of the cadaver.
I’m having a hard time believing that, not the catfish part, but that the body wouldn’t surface. So, is this true or truely fiction?
No, I don’t have any plans to carry this forward. Nor am I suggesting that anyone conduct an experiment.
Well, IIRC, at first, a face-down body floats because of the air in the lungs. (Face-up bodies sink pretty quickly.) I don’t know how much stab wounds would affect that. Then it sinks for a bit, while some bacterial decomposition goes on internally. This causes gases to build up, making the bloated body float again. So maybe the knifing would prevent the latter from happening, by allowing the gases to escape rather than building up.
What I know of animals in the river is that they sink, but wash up against the shore because of a natural tendency: The turbulence around the irregular shape slows the body relative to the main flow, and slower water is pushed to the sides as the main flow charges down the main channel. So your body would probably lodge on the first bend where the sand bars build up.
I remember the story, it is quite famous, annoyingly I can’t remember the author.
Next time you go to a real butcher, have a look at a lamb, pig or a side of beef. Those things are heavy - they will sink like a stone. For a home demonstration put a frozen chicken in the kitchen sink and turn on the taps.
Best pick a spot with weak currents, as Pliny pointed out, things can get moved around.
That is the book I read. The book was terrific. Now that I know the body will sink, I’m a little intrigued on the second part. Will catfish feast on that body for days?