How would a dead buried body look look like after seven years?

Question

I was wondering if anybody knew of a website that would show pictures of how a person's body would look like after beeing buried 7 yrs. I know some of yall might think that I'm crazy but heres a short version of the story. My grandmother passed away 7 yrs ago and they buried her at cementary here in Texas, well my grandpa said that my grandmother's wish was to be buried in Mexico. Well they finally got all the paperwork ready and they are taking the body to Mexico. All of our family is curious as to how my grandmother's body looks. We are afraid of what if they want to open the casket and what would happen if they would? If you have any info please let me know. Thanks

Answer 1

Go to the Body farm in GA to see. they have bodies in all stages of decay.

Answer 2

If it's in Texas, depending on where you are of course, there's a better chance that the soil is arid and the decomposition is not as massive. But after seven years, it would still be fairly gruesome. The fat would be completely gone, leaving just skin and hair hanging on the skeleton. If there's been water damage, there will be even greater decomposition.

If I were you I'd just let the professionals move the body and don't look into it too much yourself. They're used to seeing bodies in various stages of decomposition, whereas to you it's your grandmother, and you probably don't want to see her body in that state, even if you know on a rational level that it's not "her" anymore.

My mother passed away many years ago and I sometimes wonder what her body looks like now, too. I suppose that's natural curiosity under any circumstances.

Answer 3

Not really sure so I'll just go out on a limb here. The preservatives would keep the body intact for a while. From there, the moisture would start to leave the body. My guess is that it wouldn't be a skeleton just yet. The skin would probably be stretched tight and be about the same texture as leather. If the body looked like a skeleton, I would be surprised. Some of the cavities would probably also be sunken in. I doubt there would be maggots and such...coffins are buried and sealed pretty well and flies would have to burrow through a lot of dirt, concrete, and wood to lay their eggs to produce maggots.

Answer 4

dont think they need to open the casket so hopefully you wont be put through it. Hair and nails take a very long time to decompose so they will prob still be visible and perhaps the nails will look longer if there is still skin there as this will have shrunk. There are stories that go about regarding gases realeased from the body and the impact this has but im unsure of this. ask your doctor or undertaker they will give you a truthfull factfull reply rather then speculation (yeah im speculating) and my thoughts are with you as it wont be easy

Answer 5

It would depend on the type of casket she was buried in and the embalming job as well;she might still be decomposing,or there may be very little decomposition,or there may just be skeletal remains.When civil-rights activist Medgar Evers' body was disinterred because of legal proceedings(after many years like your grandmother)his body showed no decomposition.His body was in a lead-lined air-tight casket.

Answer 6

If she was preserved, the body would be in advanced decomposition. It would be very unpleasant to open the casket. Nothing further bad would happen to expose the body to air, all of the damage is already being done that could be done - bacteria and microbes that were already present in the air as well as inside of the body eat the softest tissues first. Then they work their way through the harder tissues and more protected tissues (brain pan, tendons, etc).

My suggestion? Don't open it. Just transport grandma casket and all and remember her the way that you did when she was alive.

Answer 7

They probably won't open the casket, or need to open the casket for a reason like this. And if the dear departed lady wanted one location over another, why not let her have it without added problems. If you are really interested in what happens to bodies read into the subject of forensics....

Answer 8

Okay...lets see. Who's the cemetery in TX. What city? Did she get burried in a vault or a grave liner or neither? Some cemeteries have low ground levels and therefore water could seep into a casket without a vault. It also depends on the type of emballming that was done.

Answer 9

Dude, listen to me on this one, PLLLEEASE! DON"T look at her body in ANY stage of decay! What do you think she would say if she were still alive??!! Would she want you to see her like that? HELL NO!! That is disrespecting your Grandmother and all that she stood for! Have you ever heard of that saying, "Curiosity KILLED the cat??!!" Well, it'll be something you live to regret for the rest of your life. You won't be able to shake the image from your mind - ever! It will haunt you. So have a heart and do the right thing - for your grandma - if you ever even loved her at all!

Answer 10

The appearance of the body after that period of time depends on many factors - humidity, soil type, state of the body at the time of burial, embalming methods, time between death and embalming/burial, cause of death, type of casket, insect population, etc...

Basically - there's no way of knowing for sure. Sometimes bodies appear almost perfectly preserved, sometimes there's nothing but chunky dust.

Answer 11

It's impossible to know exactly. It all depends on how well the casket held up to the elements, whether any moisture got in, how well the embalmer did, etc.