# If an unmarried person dies in their house, how is their death discovered? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410 "2018-12-01T20:22:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/21 "2018-12-01T23:14:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Here’s a story](https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/07/us/michigan-mummified-body-found/index.html) from a few years ago. [This article](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/world/asia/japan-lonely-deaths-the-end.html) is from The New York Times almost exactly a year ago and describes similar things happening in Japan. One woman had an arrangement with a neighbor; the woman would open the screen covering her window each morning. She asked the neighbor to look to see if the screen remained during the day. In some places, the postal employee might notice that one’s mail was not collected from the mailbox, and that might lead to an investigation. Really, it’s a problem all over the world. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/22 "2018-12-01T23:22:54Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I worry about my pets too. I am afraid if I did the deadman switch thing it would send the message when I got myself locked in the laundry room, again. I just had to climb out of a shed window 2 days ago. I am a master at locking myself in or out of places. It’s the bain of my existence. Unless you’re locked in for more than a few hours, that’s not a problem. You have 24 hours to respond to a prompt. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/23 "2018-12-01T23:40:51Z")
Don’t worry about your dog or cat starving if you die. They’ll (un?)happily make a meal of you: “Would Your Dog Eat You if You Died? Get the Facts.” [https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/pets-dogs-cats-eat-dead-owners-forensics-science/](https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/pets-dogs-cats-eat-dead-owners-forensics-science/). Most reports are that Puddy will start his meal sooner than Fido! :eek: What I find interesting that you’ll see skinny packs of dogs or cats (what’s the term for a group of cats) with their dead buddies all around them. You’d think there would be at least one fatty in the group! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/24 "2018-12-02T00:16:35Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > I believe there home monitors that track your vital signs. What’s disappointing is that my nephew walks past twice a day going to and from school and never stops by. > [@](#): > > I thought of getting one, but kind of like the idea of someone finding me months later! 😃 Hmmm… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/25 "2018-12-02T00:24:16Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I worry about my pets too. I am afraid if I did the deadman switch thing it would send the message when I got myself locked in the laundry room, again. I just had to climb out of a shed window 2 days ago. I am a master at locking myself in or out of places. It’s the bain of my existence. You just need to set up your Dead Man’s Switch message to say, “Before you assume that I’ve died or become incapacitated, please check to make sure I’m not accidentally locked in someplace.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/26 "2018-12-02T01:57:48Z")
My FIL, who is getting very frail, has an emergency device hanging around his neck that he can trigger with a single button push. This is in case he falls and can’t get up (yes, that’s really the risk). This triggers a visit by the contracted company; there’s a lock box on the front door with a key inside, and the company has the code. So someone can get inside to assist him. This is in case something happens when my MIL is at work/away for work; although when she’s away, family/friends either stay or check in every day. So it’s really about getting him immediate assistance rather than the scenario described in the OP. However, this might be useful for people living alone, who don’t want a fall and broken hip to turn into… This is in the US, by the way, don’t know if there are similar services in other countries. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/27 "2018-12-02T02:09:04Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > You just need to set up your Dead Man’s Switch message to say, “Before you assume that I’ve died or become incapacitated, please check to make sure I’m not accidentally locked in someplace.” 🙂 That sounds like a plan. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/28 "2018-12-02T02:18:21Z")
Or, and I know this might sound crazy, you could arrange things so you can’t get locked in the shed. ---
**Author:** ![Darkon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@Darkon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkon)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/29 "2018-12-02T02:36:43Z")
I find when I get out more that I tend not to think as morbidly or negatively as I do when cooped up by myself. This also has the added benefit of making it less likely that I will die at home alone. ---
**Author:** ![GMANCANADA](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gmancanada/32/2837_2.png) [@GMANCANADA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GMANCANADA)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/30 "2018-12-02T04:19:01Z")
I had a single co-worker with no relatives or significant other, die of a heart attack in his sleep. When he didn’t show up at work the next morning, his immediate co-workers became concerned. They drove to his house and his car was there so when he didn’t answer their knocks they called the police . The cops agreed there was reason for concern, but said he needed to be “missing” for a certain period of time before they could do anything official. So they couldn’t enter the house now _ **but** _ they did say they could enter the house and look around if someone spotted a sign of a potential crime, something like a broken window “for example”. My colleagues understood their message and when the police went out front to their car, they knocked out a back window and then reported to the cops in their car that they’d just spotted a broken window. The cops went in through the window, opened the door and searched and sadly found the guy dead. **Lastly, re: falling.** My wife & I were discussing the new Apple Watch Series 4. Its gyroscopes are so sensitive that they can detect not only a fall, but the type of fall you have, straight down, backwards or forwards. If the wearer doesn’t move for a minute, it will automatically call emergency services and/or your personal emergency contact. It also has an instant emergency contact call feature in case you fall and can’t get up. As another bonus it also has a built in Electro-cardiogram function. We’re thinking of getting one for her 83 year old dad who lives alone. We’re very worried about him falling and he has a bad heart. It’s expensive, but the costs of a single use & peace of mind justifies it somewhat. Plus, we’re told our doctor will accept the EKG from the unit at the same diagnostic validity as a lab one, so that also offsets the costs. Wrist sizes personal medical devices are certainly the future. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/31 "2018-12-02T04:39:19Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > My FIL, who is getting very frail, has an emergency device hanging around his neck that he can trigger with a single button push. This is in case he falls and can’t get up (yes, that’s really the risk). This triggers a visit by the contracted company; there’s a lock box on the front door with a key inside, and the company has the code. So someone can get inside to assist him. > > This is in case something happens when my MIL is at work/away for work; although when she’s away, family/friends either stay or check in every day. So it’s really about getting him immediate assistance rather than the scenario described in the OP. > > However, this might be useful for people living alone, who don’t want a fall and broken hip to turn into… > > This is in the US, by the way, don’t know if there are similar services in other countries. That’s actually a very common cause of morbidity/mortality in senior citizens. I do remember the old commercials featuring the grandmotherly type leaning against her bathtub and saying, “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up” and a man on the other end says, “We’re sending help right away, Mrs. Fletcher.” ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/32 "2018-12-02T06:55:38Z")
Alarm systems on a pendant have been around in the UK for 40-50 years, but they don’t help if you did in your sleep or any other circumstances where you don’t get to touch it before the end. Classically, here it would be the postie or the milkman who would notice, but not everyone has such regular contact with people, especially nowadays with automated payments of household bills and the like. We’ve had similar tragic cases of people not being missed or discovered for months, even a couple of years in one case. > **[Joyce Vincent](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Vincent)** > > Joyce Carol Vincent (19 October 1965 – December 2003) was an English woman whose death went unnoticed for more than two years as her corpse lay undiscovered at her bedsit in north London. Prior to her death, she had cut off nearly all contact with those who knew her. She resigned from her job in 2001, and moved into a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Around the same time, she began to reduce contact with friends and family. She died sometime in December 2003. Her remains were discovered ... ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/33 "2018-12-02T07:14:52Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Don’t worry about your dog or cat starving if you die. They’ll (un?)happily make a meal of you: “Would Your Dog Eat You if You Died? Get the Facts.” [https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/pets-dogs-cats-eat-dead-owners-forensics-science/](https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/pets-dogs-cats-eat-dead-owners-forensics-science/). Most reports are that Puddy will start his meal sooner than Fido! :eek: > > What I find interesting that you’ll see skinny packs of dogs or cats (what’s the term for a group of cats) with their dead buddies all around them. You’d think there would be at least one fatty in the group! 😃 My ex husband was found after he’d been dead about three weeks. The mailman noticed the mail piling up. I understand his dog was fine and rehomed. I wonder what the dog food about food for three weeks, but I don’t want to know enough to ask. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/34 "2018-12-02T08:46:18Z")
Had coworker die some time back. She had worked for the store for a couple decades and was very reliable, so when she didn’t show for work the store director called the police for a welfare check. She had apparently passed away while reading in her favorite chair which for a bibliophile is probably not the worst way to go. She’d been there a couple days. Another coworker who, due to alcoholism, was actually a former coworker at the time, was found in her home after a heat wave. The authorities believe she had died prior to said heat wave, and as her cats had availed themselves of the only available food source in the place her condition was… um… not good. I think she was found because a neighbor detected a really bad odor. And finally, a couple months ago I called in sick to work and the person I spoke to failed to relay that information (thanks for nothing, night manager). When I did not show up to work the next day I got a phone call from my boss asking if I was alright - which, since I have few relatives, none in the area, and live alone I found reassuring. I’d be missed and people would care enough to check up on me. Which is yet another reason I try to be extremely reliable in work attendance - if you have a reputation for always being there and you aren’t people get concerned. At present I’m healthy and fit, but I do worry about getting older, frail, and living alone. Or just having some sort of stupid accident in my home. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/35 "2018-12-02T13:41:20Z")
My mom has a at home pacemaker monitor. Links directly to her cardiologist’s office. Once in awhile the monitor beeps and my mom pushes a button to send data from the pacemaker. I assume the monitor would alert the doctor’s office if her heart stopped? She’s also has a emergency alert pendant on a necklace chain. Seems unlikely her death would go unnoticed for very long. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/36 "2018-12-02T14:19:52Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > That’s actually a very common cause of morbidity/mortality in senior citizens. I do remember the old commercials featuring the grandmotherly type leaning against her bathtub and saying, “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up” and a man on the other end says, “We’re sending help right away, Mrs. Fletcher.” Wasn’t that on a t-shirt for a while? ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/37 "2018-12-02T15:41:57Z")
The smell, alas, if it’s an older, retired person who doesn’t go out much. The neighbours noticed the smell, considered that they hadn’t seen Ed go to check the mail in the lobby, and called the police for a wellness check. The resident had been deceased for about a week. In summer. ---
**Author:** ![KMS94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ad7895/32.png) [@KMS94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KMS94)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/38 "2018-12-02T16:04:56Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > My friend lives three hours from her elderly dad so they had a daily phone call ritual. When she couldn’t reach him, she arranged a welfare check. Actually, the first time that happened, it turned out his phone was out of order. The second time, he’d passed away. My local police department is not terribly “busy”, as far as police departments go. They actually have a program (simplified here for brevity) where folks can get on the “list” to have someone call from the Department once a day to basically see if they are still alive (or in distress). It might be the parking enforcement guy, calling people between his rounds. The town has many elderly retirees. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/39 "2018-12-02T16:35:16Z")
Years ago I had an elderly neighbor who was discovered dead inside his home after a neighbor called police to do a wellness check. The neighbor was suspicious because she hadn’t seen him in a while & the windows of his home were all covered with flies (on the inside). He had apparently been dead for a couple of weeks before his body was discovered. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410/40 "2018-12-02T17:26:13Z")
Playmate of the Month, July 1959, Yvette Vickers was [found](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvette_Vickers#Death) maybe a year after she died. She had appeared in such films as _Hud_ and _Attack of the 50 Foot Woman_. Being the LA area, her body essentially was mummified. A neighbor, actress [Susan Savage](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0767386/), found her. From the trivia section on that page: “Savage had not seen her neighbor, 1950’s B-movie actress Yvette Vickers, for a long time. She became concerned upon seeing Vickers’ mailbox filled with yellowing, unopened mail. She saw cobwebs in the front doorway and entered the home to find Vickers’ mummified body on the floor …” So make sure you continue to get snailmail folks. It might tip someone off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410.md?page=3)