# Mummified body of Italian woman found sitting at a table, 2 years after her death **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2022, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303 "2022-02-11T09:44:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/21 "2022-02-12T02:23:45Z")
This is why I don’t use the keyless deadbolt on my front door. If they have to break it down, I’ll lose my deposit. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/22 "2022-02-12T03:56:47Z")
**Mummified body of Italian woman found sitting at a table** No Fucking Tip! ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/23 "2022-02-12T16:19:27Z")
To die alone at a table sounds pretty good (especially a table _in Italy._ I probably just finished some local pasta dish, and a wonderful bottle of red wine). ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/24 "2022-02-12T16:30:15Z")
Weird and unsettling as it is … this is A Thing in Japan: > **[Kodokushi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodokushi)** > > Kodokushi (孤独死) or lonely death refers to a Japanese phenomenon of people dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time. The phenomenon was first described in the 1980s. Kodokushi has become an increasing problem in Japan, attributed to economic troubles and Japan's increasingly elderly population. It is also known as koritsushi (孤立死) – "isolation death", and dokkyoshi (独居死) – "live alone death". > Kodokushi was first documented in Japanese newspapers during the 1970s, and studi... I watched a really heart-wrenching documentary about the topic (25 min): [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gep6UGZm6h4) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/25 "2022-02-12T20:46:47Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > This thread is so sad. It’s okay to be a recluse, but please, please make arrangements to have someone check on you regularly. Are you absolutely certain you understand what the word ‘recluse’ means? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/26 "2022-02-12T20:50:02Z")
A colleague of mine died alone at home and was not discovered for several months - it was particularly bad for his (estranged and distant) family, because apparently the law here is that if the exact date of death cannot be determined (which it could not, due to the decomposition of his body), the legal date of death is considered to be the date of discovery - so all the time he was lying there dead, he was racking up debts from council tax, utilities and so on, which claimed against his estate, wiping it out, leaving nothing for funeral expenses and other arrangements. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/27 "2022-02-12T20:53:10Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Are you absolutely certain you understand what the word ‘recluse’ means? 😉 Actually, I do. Are you willing to let your pet starve to death because you don’t want to see anyone? It’s incredibly selfish and cruel. Checking on someone could be as easy as putting a vase in a window and changing the vase each week. Or hanging a flag once a week: new week, new color flag. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/28 "2022-02-12T20:55:12Z")
I was just kidding with you ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/29 "2022-02-19T11:16:11Z")
After reading this thread, I texted my cousin and asked him to check in every couple of weeks. Although, I do frequently post on Facebook, so if he notices me missing there that would be fine, too. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/30 "2022-02-19T15:09:51Z")
Wait! Nah, I still don’t get it? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/31 "2022-02-19T15:35:26Z")
> [@digs](#): > > To die alone at a table sounds pretty good (especially a table _in Italy._ I probably just finished some local pasta dish, and a wonderful bottle of red wine). Are we assuming she was alone when she died? I mean she might have died while hosting a dinner party and the guests were just too polite to say anything. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/32 "2022-02-19T15:45:15Z")
If you had read the OP, you wouldn’t have to assume. The poor woman hadn’t been seen by anyone in years. Some thought she may have moved. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/33 "2022-02-19T15:47:38Z")
Or so they say ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/34 "2022-02-19T16:54:32Z")
@saucywench Watch one of the many hoarding shows on TV. Hoarders live in canyons of the stuff they accumulate. If the hoarder has become a recluse, it’s frighteningly easy for the stuff to fall over on them, suffocating them. And nobody knows. A long time ago, I remember a story about a woman who had not been seen. There was no close by family, and neighbors were used to her keeping to herself. I don’t know what prompted someone to finally request a welfare check. She was found beneath the piles of her accumulated things. It was estimated she had been dead for at least a year. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/35 "2022-02-19T17:00:38Z")
I know what hoarders are. I don’t get how it’s “extra sad.” Was it supposed to be funny? If so, it fell flat. Maybe it fell over the pile of junk. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/36 "2022-02-19T17:05:25Z")
@saucywench Not meant to be funny. It’s an incredibly sad observation of our lives being so busy that someone in the neighborhood is literally entombed by the accumulations of the things they found more comforting than connecting with people. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/37 "2022-02-19T17:48:25Z")
Sorry Vow! I don’t see your sad observation, as being comparable to someone dying totally alone with no one even noticing for years. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/38 "2022-02-19T18:08:20Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > A long time ago, I remember a story about a woman who had not been seen. There was no close by family, and neighbors were used to her keeping to herself. This one? > **[Woman Missing for 7 Years Found Dead Under Junk](https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/woman-missing-for-7-years-found-dead-under-junk/1870368/)** > > When Eunice Workman disappeared seven years ago, a search was launched but turned up nothing. Now investigators believe they found the elderly woman’s bones right inside her Oakland home. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/39 "2022-02-19T18:40:26Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > > [@VOW](#): > > > > A long time ago, I remember a story about a woman who had not been seen. There was no close by family, and neighbors were used to her keeping to herself. > > This one? - > > [Woman Missing for 7 Years Found Dead Under Junk – NBC Bay Area](https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/woman-missing-for-7-years-found-dead-under-junk/1870368/) Isn’t the _first_ place you look is the home? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303/40 "2022-02-19T18:48:30Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Isn’t the _first_ place you look is the home? [Sounds like that wasn’t possible until the place got cleaned.](https://web.archive.org/web/20090331095245/http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25254759-5001021,00.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mummified-body-of-italian-woman-found-sitting-at-a-table-2-years-after-her-death/959303.md?page=3)