# You suddenly die right now. What's the (potentially) longest time before someone finds your body? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 9, 2015, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648 "2015-07-09T08:33:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/61 "2015-07-09T23:39:35Z")
I’m supposed to pick up one son at the movie theater right before nine, so if I don’t answer he’ll probably call his brother. It’s likely he’d come downstairs and discover my corpse. If younger son decides to just go for ice cream when I don’t show up my wife should be home by 9:30 or so. We’re talking a couple hours tops. The cats will be really pissed off if I kick the bucket now, since 8:00 is their usual feeding time. The dog has already been fed, so she’d be fine for a while. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/62 "2015-07-09T23:42:26Z")
At this precise moment, 3 hours. And probably closer to 1. Thinking about it over my entire lifespan, probably the longest would be a weekend plus a day or so. Even at times like this winter when my wife was on a long vacation out of town, my employees would have come looking pretty quickly if I didn’t show up and didn’t text. I can’t imagine things getting to Tuesday before they called the police or knocked a door down. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/63 "2015-07-10T00:13:39Z")
I’d be _found_ quite soon after I died (I got 2 pre-teens, and they pass by me many times a day on my Barcalounger), but it could be a week or more until they realized I wasn’t just taking a nap. I suppose it would be our schnoodle dog chewing off my toes that may tip them off. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/64 "2015-07-10T00:18:05Z")
One or two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/65 "2015-07-10T00:48:35Z")
If I don’t show up at work tomorrow, they won’t notice. My day off. So, if I die now, 40 hours or so. Kids won’t call this week as they don’t need money. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/66 "2015-07-10T00:59:04Z")
Did we not just have this thread? A month ago maybe? We seem quite obsessed with death on the Dope. :o 5-10 minutes. I’ve got the codes to all of my son’s electronic devices. 😛 > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by MikeF > It depends on how long it takes my co-pilot to wake up from his nap. I am also curious about this. Wasn’t there that incident where the pilots over-flew their destination because they were surfing teh interwebz? Not that we want to get you in trouble, just curious how the rules are set up these days. Or, you know, whoosh. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/67 "2015-07-10T11:15:08Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > I suppose if I just stopped coming into work, my manager might call to check up on me. _Might_. I once hired someone who worked one day and never returned. I just sort of shrugged and moved on without her. Weeks later she showed up and complained about my indifference. She explained that she had anxiety issues; that was why she didn’t show up. But she was upset that I didn’t care enough to come knocking at her door. It never crossed my mind. She left and never returned. Never picked up her eight hours pay. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/68 "2015-07-10T15:49:47Z")
I’m with the husband all day pretty much - so unless we were sleeping, he’d notice right away. No, I take that back - if he were in the same room with me but reading the paper, he’d notice when he was done with the newspaper, wanted a beer, or the phone rang. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/69 "2015-07-10T17:39:28Z")
I live alone, and am retired. For its being discovered that I’d died: probably a toss-up between my (fairly inquisitive) next-door neighbours becoming aware of the stench; and one or other of my brothers – with both of whom I’m in fairly frequent touch – noticing “no communication / response”, and investigating. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/70 "2015-07-10T18:10:47Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > And you? What’s the longest you’d remain unfound if you dropped dead right then and there at the computer? I’m guessing for most “longest time” would be, at most, a few hours. Well, aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine this morning!?!? Considering I’m at work, the longest time would be less than an hour. I’m eating lunch at my desk, though the other two guys in my office leave for lunch. So, worst case scenario would be me dropping dead exactly when the other guys leave. So, an hour tops. ---
**Author:** ![NVME702-redux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@NVME702-redux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NVME702-redux)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/71 "2015-07-11T00:20:51Z")
I’m at home and my husband just stepped out for a cigarette. This smoke could last as long as 8 minutes if he just smoked and came back in to answer what he wants to do tonight. (its his birthday tomorrow!) Or, if he stops to play his phone game or feed the animals (pigs, chickens, add water, hose off the patio, put the hose away) it could be about 50 minutes. I’m lucky he’s not out of town tonight. My son just started back up with him and after not answering the phone he would discover my dead body probably about 6 hours from now. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/72 "2015-07-11T13:59:17Z")
If I died at home I would be found when Ms. JShark woke up from one of her daily catnaps. If I died in my office on a Friday afternoon I’d probably be found 12 or so hours later when someone realized where I might reasonably be. If I died when the Ms. was out of town I wouldn’t be found, since I’d be recycled into dog food quite quickly. Once, when I lived alone and didn’t regularly check in with anybody, I almost choked to death on a piece of pizza. The cheese did that rubbery cling-to-throat thing and it took a good 30 seconds to fish it out. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/73 "2015-07-11T18:02:55Z")
Hmmm…I live alone and don’t entertain tons of visitors at home. So assuming I have nothing social scheduled at my house at the time… If it is a work day AND I am working with someone else that day, probably a matter of hours since my co-worker is also a friend of mine and would be concerned. If it is a work day that I work alone, there would be concern but probably not as big of a rush - maybe a day or two. If it is my long weekend AND I am doing nothing social that weekend, maybe a few days. Long enough for the cats to start eating me, perhaps :). ---
**Author:** ![Curid1992](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Curid1992](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curid1992)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/74 "2015-07-11T19:36:57Z")
Because myself and my parents live in the same house and get on well as a family, I’d say no more than a couple of hours. Though tomorrow I am set to go out on a day trip with my family, so if it happened then, the answer would be immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/75 "2015-07-11T19:48:47Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > …Long enough for the cats to start eating me, perhaps :). More likely that they would think you’re starting to smell bad and drag you to the cat box to bury you under kitty litter. That’s not such a bad way to be interred, perhaps even noble. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/76 "2015-07-11T19:59:56Z")
Either way, eaten by, or buried by, your cats, you’re going to end up in that cat box under kitty litter. So you might as well start shopping for a small cat box head stone right now. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/77 "2015-07-11T21:01:34Z")
Right now? I’m at home and I live alone, so it might be Monday morning before anyone missed me. I don’t check in with my family regularly, and my neighbor might notice if I don’t pick up my newspaper tomorrow morning. Some of my co-workers would text me if I didn’t come in Monday and if I didn’t answer they’d probably get worried. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/78 "2015-07-11T21:52:38Z")
My 91 year old mother would call the cops if I don’t call her often enough, so maybe 48 hours. And she’s done it before… ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/79 "2015-07-12T01:27:42Z")
My kids are here, so instantly. If they were unable to summon help, then I’d expect no more than 12 hours. Probably by dinner time, so maybe six hours. I used to worry about this incessantly when I lived alone with a newborn. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648/80 "2015-07-12T01:54:00Z")
My wife would probably not notice for at least 12 hours. Unfortunately, I think my daughter would find me in a couple hours (depending on the time of day). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-suddenly-die-right-now-whats-the-potentially-longest-time-before-someone-finds-your-body/724648.md?page=5)