when a body is coverd in lime what happens to the body???

Question

hey... my uncle was murderd ten years ago and buried in a shallow grave his body was rumored to have been coverd in lime... what happens to the body when it is coverd in lime??? and what would be left of him after 10 years??? cuz we have started looking for him again..... just would like to know what we are going to be searching for..??? i,e full skeleton... pieces bone or nothing at all....

Answer 1

It disentigrates the flesh and kills the smell, but likley not always the bones or teeth. If he skull and teeth are found intact and any dental records from when he was alive are available, a positive ID can likely be made.

Let the detectives handling the case know about LSU FACES lab it they have not already heard about it. It is headed by Forensic Anthropoligist Mary H. Manhein, who has 19 years of experience and handled over 600 such cased for law enforcement.
http://www.lsu.edu/faceslab/

Answer 2

Lime will dissolve the body to bones and cut down on the stench. They use this in mass graves to cut back on disease that may effect the living.

Answer 3

I'm sorry about your uncle but lime aids in the decomposition process. After 10 years, you're not likely to find much of anything. Maybe a few fragments if you're lucky but that's about it.

Answer 4

It eats up the flesh right away, after 10 years, you may not even find any bones.

Answer 5

It speeds up decomposition.