# What's the "EXP DATE" on stiffs?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-exp-date-on-stiffs/49827>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 13, 2001, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-exp-date-on-stiffs/49827 "2001-01-13T05:52:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mellonhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@mellonhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mellonhead)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2001, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-exp-date-on-stiffs/49827/1 "2001-01-13T05:52:34Z")

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I was watching one of NBC’s fine police dramas and was wondering what the policy was for keeping unidentified stiffs. Obviously ones that are part of a murder investigation will have different sets of rules than confirmed homeless people, but how long do they keep em’ and where do they go when the time is up?

I realize that this may be something that goes county by county or state by state, but a ballpark time estimate would be nice (I just can’t imagine that there’s that much space in a county morgue).

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**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2001, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-exp-date-on-stiffs/49827/2 "2001-01-13T07:20:44Z")

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There is no need to keep the body. You have pictures and the autopsy, maybe a DNA sample. That’s all you need. Bury the rest.