# How long could you be dead for before someone would find you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2002, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597 "2002-11-19T19:46:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/41 "2002-11-20T12:32:29Z")
If I died at home I’d be found within 7 hours – my kids leave for school at 7ish ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/42 "2002-11-20T12:36:36Z")
and are home by 2ish. If I died away from home it would take a little longer. The kids would assume I was out shopping – they’d call my cell phone but probably wouldn’t worry until their dad got home around 5 or 5:30… My husband would freak pretty quickly. In 17 years of marriage, I don’t think he’s _ever_ gotten home from work and found me away and unaccounted for. He would call my cell phone several times, leave increasingly panicky messages and call the cops by 11 PM. Jess (who apparently can’t even _die_ in peace!) ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/43 "2002-11-20T16:01:38Z")
Oh, **Gut** , thanks for the link! Weird, but the first place I had heard of the deadman switch was on Ars. It was after a member had died and there was a question on whether it was in use. I’m going to have to download this and see how restrictive it might be. I have to make sure the person I’d notify (well, who the program notifies muuuwhawhahahah, hand reaching out from the grave) would check his email often enough. I can see a problem right there. I wouldn’t want to have my brother or sister notified since they live on another continent and what could they do? But what about my birdie?? He needs his oranges and pine nuts and chilis. Ah, I can feel the internal debate start already. ---
**Author:** ![Coilean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Coilean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coilean)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/44 "2002-11-20T18:16:25Z")
I’d give myself two to three months before someone figured out I was dead (depending on the time of year). Though I may write to my parents once a month or so, they wouldn’t think it odd to not hear from me for two months. That’s not to say they’d be pleased, just not surprised. I’ve not had a telephone for a couple of years thus, no surprises that I’m not ringing anyone. As a perpetual student, no bosses to or daily check-ins, and people would probably just assume I was in the library or working from home. Having said that, the landlord tends to get ancy if he doesn’t know where the rent is by the third week of the month. However, it’d take him a while to figure out who to contact for any info on my whereabouts. Additionally, there’s the outside chance that at the time of death I’d actually be ahead on my rent, in which case, he could care less. However, as I said it does depend on the time of year. If no one heard from me around New Years, Christmas and a half dozen other notable dates, they’d know something was up. And now that I think about it, If anyone did think something’s up, the first people they’d call would be the bank. No withdrawals = trouble. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/45 "2002-11-20T20:45:19Z")
I’d say about a month. My mom would go crazy by that time and would come up here herself to try and find me. But I’d bet, even if I died in my room, it would be over a week before anyone opened the door (ie-my roomate). ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/46 "2002-11-21T17:30:39Z")
I’d guess anywhere from 3 to 5 days, depending on if it’s a weekend. I am very dependable at work - always show up around the same time, or let people know if I’ll be in late. I went to the doctor’s yesterday morning, so showed up a bit late, and people were saying they were wondering where I was. I talk to my mom every night, but we miss each other occassionally, so she would leave messages for a few days and not worry too much - we don’t have a set time to talk. Susan ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/47 "2002-11-21T18:00:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lyllyan \* > \*\*Cheese and Crackers, I cannot even go to the bathroom alone, much less die alone. I have 2 wiener dogs that follow me wherever I go, I have 2 kids at home that I homeschool, and the DH calls every 15 minutes. \*\* You and me both. I don’t homeschool, but I do have kids that stand outside that bathroom do asking, “Whatcha doin’, Mommy?” And two cats who follow me everywhere. And a husband who calls constantly to ask, “What’s for dinner?” and “Whatcha doing, honey?” Actually, dying and not being found for days sounds kind of peaceful. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zweistein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/54ee81/32.png) [@Zweistein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zweistein)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/48 "2002-11-21T21:19:27Z")
I have no family, and I have a burglar-free front door: approx. 2 years. Probably more. It’s my fate. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/49 "2002-11-22T06:00:24Z")
How about[three years](http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/11/21/mummies.found.reut/index.html)? > [@](#): > > Rubin told the News-Press of Fort Myers that he had last seen the pair alive in January 1999. > > “I’d like to know … if it was a murder-suicide,” he said. > > Detectives said the house was dusty but well-kept. The lights were on and the air conditioning was working, apparently because the Fuchs’ electricity bills were paid automatically. > > Detectives described the bodies as “mummified and skeletonized,” a condition that would have occurred naturally in the cool, dry air-conditioned home. > > Investigators found cheese and milk with 1999 expiration dates in the refrigerator. A calendar was marked until February 28, 1999. ---
**Author:** ![Sxyzzx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sxyzzx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sxyzzx)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/50 "2002-11-22T07:14:29Z")
I’d like to know what brand of light bulbs they were using. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/51 "2002-11-22T15:02:58Z")
That story reminds me of “There Will Come Soft Rains,” by Ray Bradbury. ---
**Author:** ![VanLandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/eb9ed0/32.png) [@VanLandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanLandry)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/52 "2002-11-22T19:56:14Z")
Wow… My 1st 2 page post. Thanks everyone. I could’nt have done it without you. Well 50 of you, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/53 "2002-11-22T20:39:18Z")
I’d probably be found within a day, two at the most if its during the week. My boss would worry, she’d call my parents by the end of the day (listed on the emergency contact list) if I was a no show at work and didn’t answer my cell or house phone. ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/54 "2002-11-22T21:52:33Z")
Depends on the day–if I missed work, my boss would definitely call. If I croaked on a Friday night, it would depend on how concerned my mother was about not being able to reach me (yes, she “checks up on me” during the weekends). ---
**Author:** ![lovelyluka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f475e1/32.png) [@lovelyluka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lovelyluka)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/55 "2002-11-22T22:02:14Z")
about a week. problem is, i’m so busy that everyone assumes i’m with some other person doing some other thing. none of these other people really know each other. so until my roommate tallies up a good number of people asking where i am, and then calls my mother to see if she’s heard from me…yeah, about a week. fortunately MY cat lives outside. and my roommate is a vegetarian. and our heat is set on 60 degrees because we’re poor college students. my corpse is SAFE. ---
**Author:** ![MadnessIsAVirtue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MadnessIsAVirtue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadnessIsAVirtue)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2002, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/56 "2002-11-23T03:03:50Z")
Hmmm… If I died at home, the people I live with would probably notice at some point on the same day. If I died away from home, the people I live with would probably notice that I didn’t come home that night and try ringing my cell phone. Whether or not I would ever be found would depend on various factors: whether or not I was alone when I died; whether or not somebody answered my cell phone for me and notified people that I was dead; whether or not my cell phone was even on in the first place; where I was when I died, etc. Under certain circumstances, I may not ever be found by anybody. As for other people besides those I live with, nobody I live with knows the phone numbers or email addresses of my outside-the-home friends or the passwords of my own email addresses, so unless they found notification details of my friends somewhere around and let them know, my friends would actually never know I was even dead. Unless they called my house or something to find out whatever happened to me. The people I live with also don’t know the passwords to my accounts on the various message boards that I frequent, so nobody I talked to online would ever know I was dead. I was reading a thread some time ago on another message board that I stumbled onto in my surfing and they were discussing whether or not any of them would ever know if one of them died. Somebody mentioned the idea of having an intellectual will, where you let somebody close to you know the details of the message boards that you frequent so if you ever die, they can log in for you and let everybody know that you’re gone. Otherwise you’d just stop posting and nobody you talk to online would ever know that you were dead. It’s an interesting thought. ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597/57 "2002-11-23T04:09:41Z")
I overslept on Tuesday, and when I got there fifteen minutes late, I said that if an employee hadn’t called me to say she was sick and wouldn’t be in, I’d still be sleeping. My office assistant said “Oh, I’d have called you by now. And if you didn’t answer, I would have gone over and dragged you out of bed.” So, I guess if I died on a work day, it wouldn’t be long. I talk to or see my father every day…more because I worry about him than that he worries about me…so on a weekend, I guess it wouldn’t take long either. Good thing, too. ScottiKitty only likes dry cat food. ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-you-be-dead-for-before-someone-would-find-you/137597.md?page=2)