How would a human corpse appear after 5 years in the grave?

Answer 1

depending on the diet of the person, due to the amount of conservants found in today's foods, some of them refuse to decompose even after 15 years.
If you actually want to see some, I am sure rotten.com will have some for you.

Answer 2

Human skeletal remain will stay largely intact for decades
particularly if the body was packaged in some way (tarp, bag, rolled in a blanket, rug, etc). Unless the body has been ravaged by wild animals and scattered about, the only real threat to the remains would be the elements and insects. If the body was not packaged, but was fully clothed, this could provide some protection as far as keeping the skeletal remains intact provided the body was buried fairly deep
in firm soil, but it would do little against the other forces of
nature. Over time, the fluids in the body will absorb into the soil creating somewhat of a drying effect, or mummification of the body.
Now let’s discuss the bones themselves. Skeletal remains, particularly those entombed in rich, moist soil where an abundance of minerals are present, tend to take on the color of the soil itself.
Now for the clothing: As with all clothing, dyes tend to fade over time. Depending on how the fabric is dyed, what kind of fabric it is and what the fabric has been exposed to, if the boy was packaged the clothing may very well be intact. If the body was not packaged and was simply dumped into a grave a buried, the fabric will react in the same was as any other material that is buried. That is to say that it will break down over time (like mulch) and take on the appearance of its
surroundings. Evidence of its presence however will likely remain (fibers, hardware like zippers, snaps, buttons, buckles). Leather articles and jeans survive better than most anything else, and of course vinyl is resistant to just about anything except fire and can even retain its original color for many years.
After removing the dirt you may find that the body is oddly flattened by the weight of the soil and very dirty if not muddy. The bones would be mostly exposed and they would be dark, moist, mildewy and brittle. A pile of hair would lie just under the skull, which would have irregular seams across its surface
(these are naturally occurring sutures of the skull, not breaks). The skull would be mostly, if not entirely devoid of skin, except maybe for the back of the scalp or a small portion of a leathery ear. The jaw would be detached from the skull exposing the lower teeth; the eye sockets would be empty. Sparse, dried tissues would be found perhaps on the back of the skull, the backs of the hands (this dries quickly and stretches out across the bone in a parchment-like fashion), the soles of the feet near the heel where the skin was thick, the buttocks under the pelvis, and other places where the body had large volumes of skin or thick, callused skin which would have been compressed. The remnants of the trousers would likely contain the pelvis and the long bones of the legs. It would be impossible for an untrained observer to determine the gender of the deceased. The remnants of the shirt likely be open and mostly rotted, enhanced by destructive bacteria. The body might lie on some remainder of the shirt, which by now would be black or very dark in color due to the draining of bodily fluids. Exposure to these fluids will cause the fabric of the thin shirt to decompose as if it were flesh so only small portions of the shirt (perhaps the
hems, collar, cuffs, etc) would be identifiable as fabric to the naked eye. The rib cage would lie down as if it were dominoes, on rib on top of another. The abdominal cavity would be visibly empty but one might extricate small portions of dried organs on further forensic examination. Shoes, or in some cases socks, would contain most of the bones of the feet if they are still intact. Leather, rubber or vinyl shoes (perhaps even canvas shoes), would still be identifiable. Some heel tissue might be evident in the shoes on closer examination. The soles of the shoes and the eyelets would probably be there even if the shoe uppers had disintegrated. Small bones of the hands, feet, and spine which were once held in place largely by tendons, cartilage, and muscle might be scatter about the grave, forced out of place by shifting soil or burrowing insects. Roots might even be entangled with
(or through) the skeleton making the exhumation difficult. Accessories such a jewelry, wallet, dentures, etc could be found on closure audit of the grave.

This link is also useful:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/decompostionafterdeath.shtml

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Btw, I hope, you need the answer for some research / Movie depiction, and not to hide some heinous crime ;)

Answer 3

As well as the embalming method and the diet of the deceased, other factors are the chemical composition of the soil in which it is buried and the temperature. If the temperature is constantly at a very cold temperature, virtually no bacterial decomposition will occur; In an extremely hot and dry climate the body can also dry out and be otherwise well preserved; and an extremely alkaline soil will act to mummify the body.

If any of these factors are present, a five year old body might appear obviously human but somewhat shrunken, tanned or darkened (particularly in the case of alkaline soil or peat bog).

Answer 4

The rate of decomposition depends on arid/wet climate. Forensic pathologists can determine how long you have been dead by how far the maggots have eaten the skin tissue of the corpse, taking into account the climate.

Answer 5

Go find out for yourself.

Answer 6

it depends on what it was preserved with. all embalmings are not created equally.

Answer 7

go dig one out and you will find your answer.

Answer 8

ew!