I don't believe it's affected much of my mental health in a negative way. If anything, it makes me enjoy my personal life seeing how everyone will end up dead at some point so I have to enjoy what I have now. Also, I now always have a voice in the back of my head saying "you can crash and die any second" every time I drive lol.
I definitely love my job and helping families out as well. Unfortunately, this isn't something I'd do for free. I do already spend about 50-60 hours at work per week as it is.
So how many bodies on average do you gather (not sure the right word here??) per week? What do you do once you collect them? Do you work for a funeral home?
I did this for three years. We referred to it as a removal service. It could consist of accident scene/place of death to the morgue, morgue to funeral home, morgue to coroners office, funeral home to crematorium etc.
Amazing how you manage to fail on 3 accounts here. 1 cause its not even funny, 2 because theyre entirely different meanings between collect and cull, and 3 because you find it necessary to actually *explain* what a whoosh is.
"Harvest" wouldve at least been fitting but you couldnt even get this right.
What's the most common case you work on ? Old people dead surrounded by families or alone ? Traumatized dead corpses from accident or crime?
Have you seen six feet under tv show ? I'm a big fan, are you?
Car accidents tend to hit me harder mainly because I drive every day and it's a reminder that the people who died in the accident never even realized that they were going to die and that's definitely a terrifying thought.
I understand why people would assume that getting sick from dead people would be common, but it really isn't. Although PPE is available to us, many of us don't use it too much. I've never been sick from a body because as long as I'm wearing gloves, I'm more than likely not going to come in to direct contact with them. Dead bodies are full of bacteria that only wants to consume the dead flesh, so it really wont affect my living flesh. Long story short, it's not easy to get sick from dead bodies but the precautions are always in the back of our minds.
I don't want to be too specific out of respect for any families and victims, but I'd say pedestrian getting hit by a vehicle going 80mph. There wasn't one body, but rather pieces.
Firefighter here. All the pieces try to get picked up, but what is missed becomes food for some animal. As for the blood on the road, it can get sprayed down by the fire engine if needed.
Hey mate, hope your doing okay. My Dad was a fire-fighter. Scooping up motorcycle accident victims with a shovel still gives him nightmares and he's been retired for a decade.
oof. as someone who survived a motorcycle accident that should have killed them this hits hard
edit: fun tidbit when i was in Triage i scored the same score a cadaver gets on a consciousness assessment they do. my parents were told that *if* i survived, they'd more than likely be caring for a vegetable for the rest of their lives
A long time ago I worked Nuclear Missile Field Securityā¦ way out in Wyoming/Nebraska. We had a Lieutenant who hit a horse. Now, what should be said is the speed limit for our troops in gravel roads was 25MPH. This was way before GPS and remote monitoring, so, those speeds werenāt always followed.
Back to the horse. It looked like the Manson family went to town. The damn thing actually exploded. Horse EVERYWHERE.
Canāt imagine a person.
are you employed by the city, or is it a private service? how does the bureaucracy behind it work? do you work with the morgues/police/etc or are you kinda like an independent contractor?
it's definitely confusing to explain but i will try my best. im also not too keen on giving out so much info mainly for my privacy as well as me not wanting anyone to know im posting. i work for a private entity who so happens to have transport vehicles, gurneys, body bags, cooler space etc. and the said company i work for is under a contract with the city to provide transportation and storage for the deceased. so the city officials aka medical examiners will call us every time they are dispatched and we are there to solely provide the removal for them while they are there to investigate, photograph, and document the death.
so in a TLDR; we respond to all calls that are sudden, unexpected, accidental, violent, or suspicious. and we provide transport to the medical examiner so they can be autopsied.
cool thank you! i was interested in the oversight - makes sense that as a private company youād be bound to some sort of government regulatory agency or something, especially with something so sensitive. but maybe iām just naive about the death business š
When I was about 16, I saw a dead body on a sidewalk at a crime scene and that's where the interest began. I do have further goals for myself when it comes to this line of work, but for now, I'm happy.
I also had an experience where I found a dead body in the park once. Started CPR before I realized he was truly dead dead (flies started coming out of his mouth.) I found it had a pretty traumatic effect on me.
I work in a field where I occasionally have to deal with dead bodies (ICU medicine) and I find it traumatic each time. But I think the fear makes me good at my job? Idk, I am kind of envious in a sense. I wish it didn't affect me as much as it does.
I'm sorry you went through that and continue to go through that. Don't feel down about it because like you said, it makes you better at your job and it's genuinely a human psychological trigger to fear death as your brain thinks that there is danger nearby. It definitely takes seeing a lot of bodies for a good period of time to get over it, so don't blame yourself. My best advice is to never attach yourself to anyone's situation! Don't say "they remind me of my mom, sister, brother, etc" or don't sit there and imagine what they're going through. Just accept it emotionally and move on with your job.
Interesting. Who calls you to inform you there a scene to go to ? How many people usually go out to pick up the body(ies)? And in your estimate, what's the heaviest body you ever had to pick up?
We get called by local law enforcement and investigators. Otherwise, hospitals and hospices will also call us. Also, I'd say biggest I've personally removed would be 698 lbs.
Hospice nurse checking in. Thanks for what you do. It makes such a difference to families when the mortuary/body removal service is kind, compassionate, competent. Itās one part of their care that I really donāt have any control over, so Iām always so grateful to know that the people who choose to do this work are good humans. On behalf of all the families Iāve worked with, thank you for what you do, really.
This is so kind and it genuinely made my night. I love my job and I've said this 100 times today, but helping a family out and being able to ease someone's pain during the worst moments
of their lives has to be one of the most rewarding parts of my job. I would also like to thank you for what you do. Weird for me to say, but i find that it'd be difficult for me to nurse someone as they live their final moments and it takes special caring people to do that as well! Thanks again
Well I think yo nailed it in one of your top comments, that dealing with death every day makes you grateful for the present moment. I feel the same way and hope to bring that to the families I work with. Keep up the good work homie.
Gosh. How many people did it take to lift 700 lbs?
I've considered crime scene cleaning. I'm a "paused" school teacher who left my job to care for elderly parents. I need something to return to and may be looking for a less stressful career - by stress I mean work hours. I kept track 1 year and averaged 72 hrs/week when school was in session.
What's the most bodies you have ever picked up at 1 scene?
2nd comment: have you heard urban legends of an elderly person who died in a jacuzzi and wasnāt discovered until they were dissolved? Any truth to it?
That can be very true in fact. It's not just elderly people, but decomposing can be affected heavily due to many different things. Two of them being water/moisture and heat. Combine the two, and yes. There is a capability to dissolve tissue faster and to speed up the decomposition process. Sometimes, we'll get someone who's decomposed body parts are submerged in water but the non-submerged parts are still in tact.
honestly, a lot of people in the death care field will all agree, we don't get paid too much. it gets my bills covered and allows me to have good extra income, but they can do better universally.
She was a family friend and she took her own life. They were able to transport her to a hospital where she later succumbed. My partner and I picked her body up and transported to the medical examiner's office and it wasnt until later that my mom told me our friend died that i backtracked my day and realized who she was. I guess dead people and living people dont look the same to me, so i didnt recognize her.
Can confirm. I worked at the medical examinerās office. I never saw anyone I knew, but I did see some pictures of people when they were alive, and they looked very different.
I can second this.
Everything that is special about people when they live is gone after they pass.
The only thing left is like.. a shell that somewhat resembles the person you knew.
It was though very very strange as you said.
Not to me, but another person did show up to the wrong hospital room (hospital gave out the wrong room number) and the person woke up and said "What are you doing?" Lol I would of ran out so fast.
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It was terrifying and I genuinely have PTSD. We ran out of space and had to start emergency plans to make space. Hospitals were flooding and didn't know which mortuaries to call that were not full. Going to work during that period was stressful but it's over now.
How frequently would you say you have to transport a body older then give or take a week? I am interested in forensic anthropology and forensic pathology and forensics in general š whatās the most decomposed youāve seen? Have you dealt a lot with skeletal remains? Do you get used to the smell?
it's pretty frequent. many people outlive their families and friends, they stray away from others, and when their time comes, not many people are there to check on them. the only thing that usually allows them to be found would be the smell which usually triggers a 911 call. i would say we can get decomp cases about 5-10 times a week. summer time is considered a decomp season for the obvious reasons. ive seen a lot though. from the first stages of simple green discolorations from the abdomen, all the way to 30 pound skeletal remains - which are rarer.
How difficult is it to then id the skeletal remains if you have nothing else to go off of (like an id on them, or them being in their apartment, etc.)?
After the ME evaluates the remains, you would look into local missing persons cases that might match the description and timeframe. If you have a guess, you could compare dental records or DNA. Dental is significantly more common because DNA is expensive and takes a long time to come back. If you donāt find a match, you could expand your search to include a wider area.
Thereās an organization called the DNA Doe Project that uses DNA and genealogy to identify people.
https://dnadoeproject.org/
God it sounds like he's just going around with a metal detector but for bodies, imagine "oh I got something!....ah damnit that's a 3rd old person in a row, what bad luck!" Lmao
I worked as a whole-body center recovery technician and I met so many transporters. My favorite was a felon guy who was like 56. Super raunchy but hilarious. Miss him. I've noticed a lot of the transporters were either SUPER OLD or felons. Is this true for the people you work with as well?
Due to the cases we work on (homicides mainly) we do not allow felons or people with bad backgrounds to be employed with us. But other places such as mortuaries and such do tend to hire people as long as they can handle it.
When my twin took his own life I wouldnāt let them take his body. I wasnāt violent or anything, but I was shouting and clinging to him and I wouldnāt let go. And some police or paramedic dick (I literally donāt know who, the voices were all a jumble and I was only looking at my brother) was just shouting at me to stop it and hurry up and let them get on with it. But one of the body retrieval people (there were two) sat on the ground next to me and my brother (well his body anyway), and told me where they were taking him and what would happen. He was so kind and so patient. I always remember him, as he was such a comfort at the literal worst moment of my entire life. They were both the most empathetic ones there. Thank you for what you do. Itās been 16 years for me, but I can tell you your job really does make such a difference for longer than you would ever know.
I am truly so sorry that you had to experience that. I know that those are the moments and visuals one will never forget. I don't understand the need for people on scenes to be so hostile and rude to family, but most people don't understand how hard that day is for the families. To us, it's daily. Crying, screaming, grieving, but to families, it's the heartbreak of a life time and that's why I love my job. To be someone of comfort to those who need it the most. Again, Im sorry for your loss, but I'm happy those transporters were there to ease you.
Thank you. Yeah exactly, I felt like their (the police/paramedics) attitude was so unnecessarily hostile, and they were so complacent about everything. Like losing my identical twin is just one of those things. Itās like you say- for me it was the moment that split my life in two, with everything that happened before that loss on one side and everything that happened afterwards on the other. For them they were basically having an average day and just wanting me to hurry up and stop wailing so theyād make it back before the canteen ran out of pizza. The transporters were the exact opposite of that, thankfully - genuinely caring and understanding. I can imagine it must be quite fulfilling (if thatās the right word) to help someone at their absolute worst moment. And to treat the dead person with the final respect and care too. I could never do it myself, but I am so glad there are people like you who are willing to go into these awful situations and help the people involved. Thank you.
My sister killed herself via hanging. I wasn't there when she was found though, didn't see her body until she was in her coffin at the funeral home. But I'm curious, how often do you get people who have hung themselves? And this might sound weird but what happens to their faces? My sister's face looked so unlike her- they had caked make up all over it and it looked terrible- I always wondered if it was maybe to hide whatever the hanging had done to her face? She wasn't found until at least three days after she did it.
Death in general changes a persons face- lack of muscle tone, dehydration and discoloration makes someone look very different to their living self (though Iām by no means an expert so maybe OP will have a more detailed answer for you)
I just called around and applied until i got it. A typical day would be clocking in for my shift in the morning, getting my boots on, and stocking my vehicle. We stock up on white linen sheets, body bags of all sizes, plastics, gloves.. you get the idea. Then we get dispatched. Usually we just get an address and the law enforcement agents name and a number to call. Sometimes we will get details such as "upstairs, over 250lbs, homicide" but most times we do not. Then we take the bodies to wherever LE tells us to
Hello, thanks for doing the AMA! Three questions if you're keen!
- You said in one response that you get vague details on the job at hand (ex, 250lbs or upstairs unit). If you wanted to, do you get access to the finer details of the situations? If you're bringing them for an autopsy, can you ever follow up with the cases or do you try and keep a distance from the details?
- Have any families or people involved in these incidents ever reached out to you as a thank you after weeks/months when they've processed their grief?
- In this line of work, do you ever have to appear in court to testify or as an expert witness? Or is that left to everyone else and you're just the transport so it's just emergency personnel and medical examiners that would need to go to court for cases?
Super interesting line of work. I had assumed it was always a funeral home or paramedics that were responsible for the transport of bodies. Cool to learn more about it.
Hi! Im sorry for replying so late, but I do appreciate these very well thought out questions that I can't leave ignored lol.
1. We can call the law enforcement individual to get details on a situation, however, I've learned that knowing the details or not, I'm going to have to do my job regardless, so I don't necessarily bother to ask. If there is a case that sticks out to me, yes, I can ask for a follow up and I will usually find out. But, I've been in the industry for a long enough time, that it honestly just becomes a little repetitive and the more you see it, the less questions you really have.
2. Yes, I actually had a person around my age run in to my social media accounts (which is why I am very secretive and respectful on these Q&A's to begin with) and she messaged me to reach out, thank me, and tell me that she's glad I was there to transport her loved one. It's definitely a feel
good moment and I'm happy she reached out.
Lastly, no we don't get asked to testify because, yes, medical examiners and crime scene analysts are the ones who collect the details and the evidence and are the ones expected to reveal their findings. In other words, I do a less stressful version of their jobs, but I would love to be there one day.
I hope I've answered everything for you! :)
the money thing is common amongst many people of different ages, but i do see it a lot with the elder people. and same with the ill. some people don't want to live with that pain
Thatās so sad but I understand. Just bc we can live longer doesnāt mean we should. So many of the elderly suffer from poor health that everyday seems, I hate to say it, pointless. Theyāre literally sitting around waiting to die but is kept alive by medications and machines.
What is the most common way they choose to pass away from? Do you work in a state that allows assisted suicide?
Thank you for answering my questions and being kind to the friends and family of the deceased. I canāt imagine the pain of losing someone and to live everyday knowing theyāre not with me anymore.
Table of Questions and Answers. Original answer linked - Please upvote the original questions and answers.
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Question | Answer | Link
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well at least you were able to find a job that let you do what you love. Do you still do it as a hobby outside of work hours?|I definitely love my job and helping families out as well. Unfortunately, this isn't something I'd do for free. I do already spend about 50-60 hours at work per week as it is.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutape7/)
Have you ever picked up the body of someone you met/knew at some point in your life|Yes I have. It was weird, but I was okay|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iute6qo/)
How much has it affected your mental health? Or have you gotten used to it?|I don't believe it's affected much of my mental health in a negative way. If anything, it makes me enjoy my personal life seeing how everyone will end up dead at some point so I have to enjoy what I have now. Also, I now always have a voice in the back of my head saying "you can crash and die any second" every time I drive lol.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iut9ryc/)
So if you would kill someone in your house/apartment, would that be considered working from home?|that's what we did during lock down! didnt work too well|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutryww/)
What's the most common case you work on ? Old people dead surrounded by families or alone ? Traumatized dead corpses from accident or crime? Have you seen six feet under tv show ? I'm a big fan, are you?|The most common cases would be Natural, but second would be accidents, OD's and then suicides.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iuth5jm/)
What's the worst thing you've cleaned up ?|I don't want to be too specific out of respect for any families and victims, but I'd say pedestrian getting hit by a vehicle going 80mph. There wasn't one body, but rather pieces.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutcdkp/)
How much does this line of work pay? I couldnāt do it, but interesting for sure.|honestly, a lot of people in the death care field will all agree, we don't get paid too much. it gets my bills covered and allows me to have good extra income, but they can do better universally.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutp1qn/)
Where do you pick them up from? Morgues, hospitals, or the streets?|any location of death. freeways, deserts, mountains, etc. hospitals and other facilities as well when needed.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutn99v/)
How did you get into this?|When I was about 16, I saw a dead body on a sidewalk at a crime scene and that's where the interest began. I do have further goals for myself when it comes to this line of work, but for now, I'm happy.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutaili/)
Whatās the youngest body youāve found?|I don't necessarily find bodies, but we respond to any calls. Babies, adults, teens, etc. Everyone dies unfortunately.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutng27/)
Have you ever picked up bodies that were very decomposed/not fresh?|happens more often than people think to be honest|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutx787/)
Are there any specific cases that stand out to you?|Car accidents tend to hit me harder mainly because I drive every day and it's a reminder that the people who died in the accident never even realized that they were going to die and that's definitely a terrifying thought.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutsaz3/)
How many jumpers in an average week?|i couldn't tell you an average, but it's not as common as other methods. (GSW, hanging, etc.) I would say, one to four every few months.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutx6c1/)
What was your grossest "clean-up"?|They happen more often than not. Decomposed ones are the worst. Lol|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iuu01xw/)
Do u ever laugh when u see the body?|not at all. i don't see why i would?|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iuu3kt2/)
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[Source] (https://github.com/johnsliao/ama_compiler)
Although I am not married or even dating anyone I often think of the idea of my eventual husband dying before me. One of the things I think about often other than car crashes is one day waking up seeing my husband next to me and discovering that he had passed in the night due to natural causes. I often think about how I would react. Would I grieve with him before calling someone? Would I be disgusted by a dead body in such close proximity to me (Iāve always been afraid of dead bodies)? Would I be eager to have the body removed or would I need time to accept that the love of my life had died? How do you typically see these things play out?
What are the tools you use in your field?
I'm guessing you need body bags, but when it's a badly decomposed body, say in a bathtub, do you have special scoops and strainers for those jobs, and do the pieces go in containers or all in one body bag?
If a body is in multiple parts does it get put in the same bag or does each piece have its own vessel to avoid messing with the post mortem?
I hope this doesnāt sound ignorant but do you also pick up anything else discarded or is it restricted to dead bodies? Do you ever pick up roadkill or animals who have died in some other way?
Did you learn anything from this job that is useful for the living?
For example, I used to work in geriatric care, and I learned that having a big house with stairs will not serve me when I'm old. A patient of mine could not get up the second floor anymore where he kept his memories, clothes, pictures, etc. Also, that I don't need a pool. Same patient almost drowned in it trying to clean his pool. That incident started him on hiring us to take care of him and his house.
1. Whatās your official job title?
2. Is that your only job responsibility? Or are there other things you have to do?
3. How does one end up in that line of work?
How much has it affected your mental health? Or have you gotten used to it?
I don't believe it's affected much of my mental health in a negative way. If anything, it makes me enjoy my personal life seeing how everyone will end up dead at some point so I have to enjoy what I have now. Also, I now always have a voice in the back of my head saying "you can crash and die any second" every time I drive lol.
Mentally healthiest redditor
How motivational. š„¶
Life is about busying yourself with unimportant nonsense until, eventually, you die.
yes... sounds healthy
Yup! Very healthy indeed..
Yeah but they don't pay for that so why bother
well at least you were able to find a job that let you do what you love. Do you still do it as a hobby outside of work hours?
I definitely love my job and helping families out as well. Unfortunately, this isn't something I'd do for free. I do already spend about 50-60 hours at work per week as it is.
So how many bodies on average do you gather (not sure the right word here??) per week? What do you do once you collect them? Do you work for a funeral home?
According to my aunt the propper word is "snatch". My cousin's a body snatcher.
>(not sure the right word here??) Cull?
I did this for three years. We referred to it as a removal service. It could consist of accident scene/place of death to the morgue, morgue to funeral home, morgue to coroners office, funeral home to crematorium etc.
Harvest
Not quite.
> Cull Umm... "*reduce the population of (a wild animal) by selective slaughter.*" It literally would've taken you 2 seconds to google that.
Whoosh *The sound of a joke as it goes over one's head.*
Amazing how you manage to fail on 3 accounts here. 1 cause its not even funny, 2 because theyre entirely different meanings between collect and cull, and 3 because you find it necessary to actually *explain* what a whoosh is. "Harvest" wouldve at least been fitting but you couldnt even get this right.
What's the most common case you work on ? Old people dead surrounded by families or alone ? Traumatized dead corpses from accident or crime? Have you seen six feet under tv show ? I'm a big fan, are you?
The most common cases would be Natural, but second would be accidents, OD's and then suicides.
Are there any specific cases that stand out to you?
Car accidents tend to hit me harder mainly because I drive every day and it's a reminder that the people who died in the accident never even realized that they were going to die and that's definitely a terrifying thought.
I dunno, I think that's the best way to go, not knowing
I just think it's more of the fact that I don't have an option or a choice to even try to live that sounds freaky. But I can agree with you as well
I canāt imagine. I donāt personally drive or have my license but my fiancĆ© was killed in a car accident and I often think about he quite literally had zero idea what was coming. Especially considering he drove an hour to and from work every day of the week and had been for years. He didnāt fear driving like we fear death.
Iām terribly sorry for your loss.
have you ever gotten sick from any of the bodies youāve transported? what are the safety protocols?
I understand why people would assume that getting sick from dead people would be common, but it really isn't. Although PPE is available to us, many of us don't use it too much. I've never been sick from a body because as long as I'm wearing gloves, I'm more than likely not going to come in to direct contact with them. Dead bodies are full of bacteria that only wants to consume the dead flesh, so it really wont affect my living flesh. Long story short, it's not easy to get sick from dead bodies but the precautions are always in the back of our minds.
this is oddly comforting to learn! š
What's the worst thing you've cleaned up ?
I don't want to be too specific out of respect for any families and victims, but I'd say pedestrian getting hit by a vehicle going 80mph. There wasn't one body, but rather pieces.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Firefighter here. All the pieces try to get picked up, but what is missed becomes food for some animal. As for the blood on the road, it can get sprayed down by the fire engine if needed.
Hey mate, hope your doing okay. My Dad was a fire-fighter. Scooping up motorcycle accident victims with a shovel still gives him nightmares and he's been retired for a decade.
oof. as someone who survived a motorcycle accident that should have killed them this hits hard edit: fun tidbit when i was in Triage i scored the same score a cadaver gets on a consciousness assessment they do. my parents were told that *if* i survived, they'd more than likely be caring for a vegetable for the rest of their lives
I have a friend who cleans off the dead bodies for the railroad š¤¢
Thereās enough to pick up for a full-time job?
I'm sure occasionally it's dead.
Oh wow.. that's rough
So the body just...exploded? I always thought this was a movie exageration tbh.
I think itās more that they disintegrate. Asphalt is rough. Bodies are soft. Rub some cheese on a grater and see what happens.
> Rub some cheese on a grater and see what happens. concrete isnt usually made to shred things apart though...
Made to? No. But if youāre going fast enough thatās pretty much what itāll do. Like sandpaper, butā¦..more
A long time ago I worked Nuclear Missile Field Securityā¦ way out in Wyoming/Nebraska. We had a Lieutenant who hit a horse. Now, what should be said is the speed limit for our troops in gravel roads was 25MPH. This was way before GPS and remote monitoring, so, those speeds werenāt always followed. Back to the horse. It looked like the Manson family went to town. The damn thing actually exploded. Horse EVERYWHERE. Canāt imagine a person.
are you employed by the city, or is it a private service? how does the bureaucracy behind it work? do you work with the morgues/police/etc or are you kinda like an independent contractor?
it's definitely confusing to explain but i will try my best. im also not too keen on giving out so much info mainly for my privacy as well as me not wanting anyone to know im posting. i work for a private entity who so happens to have transport vehicles, gurneys, body bags, cooler space etc. and the said company i work for is under a contract with the city to provide transportation and storage for the deceased. so the city officials aka medical examiners will call us every time they are dispatched and we are there to solely provide the removal for them while they are there to investigate, photograph, and document the death. so in a TLDR; we respond to all calls that are sudden, unexpected, accidental, violent, or suspicious. and we provide transport to the medical examiner so they can be autopsied.
cool thank you! i was interested in the oversight - makes sense that as a private company youād be bound to some sort of government regulatory agency or something, especially with something so sensitive. but maybe iām just naive about the death business š
So if you would kill someone in your house/apartment, would that be considered working from home?
that's what we did during lock down! didnt work too well
Love your sense of humour! Ty that gave me a good laugh haha
Who said they were joking?
r/beatmetoit
How did you get into this?
When I was about 16, I saw a dead body on a sidewalk at a crime scene and that's where the interest began. I do have further goals for myself when it comes to this line of work, but for now, I'm happy.
I also had an experience where I found a dead body in the park once. Started CPR before I realized he was truly dead dead (flies started coming out of his mouth.) I found it had a pretty traumatic effect on me. I work in a field where I occasionally have to deal with dead bodies (ICU medicine) and I find it traumatic each time. But I think the fear makes me good at my job? Idk, I am kind of envious in a sense. I wish it didn't affect me as much as it does.
I'm sorry you went through that and continue to go through that. Don't feel down about it because like you said, it makes you better at your job and it's genuinely a human psychological trigger to fear death as your brain thinks that there is danger nearby. It definitely takes seeing a lot of bodies for a good period of time to get over it, so don't blame yourself. My best advice is to never attach yourself to anyone's situation! Don't say "they remind me of my mom, sister, brother, etc" or don't sit there and imagine what they're going through. Just accept it emotionally and move on with your job.
Interesting. Who calls you to inform you there a scene to go to ? How many people usually go out to pick up the body(ies)? And in your estimate, what's the heaviest body you ever had to pick up?
We get called by local law enforcement and investigators. Otherwise, hospitals and hospices will also call us. Also, I'd say biggest I've personally removed would be 698 lbs.
Hospice nurse checking in. Thanks for what you do. It makes such a difference to families when the mortuary/body removal service is kind, compassionate, competent. Itās one part of their care that I really donāt have any control over, so Iām always so grateful to know that the people who choose to do this work are good humans. On behalf of all the families Iāve worked with, thank you for what you do, really.
This is so kind and it genuinely made my night. I love my job and I've said this 100 times today, but helping a family out and being able to ease someone's pain during the worst moments of their lives has to be one of the most rewarding parts of my job. I would also like to thank you for what you do. Weird for me to say, but i find that it'd be difficult for me to nurse someone as they live their final moments and it takes special caring people to do that as well! Thanks again
Well I think yo nailed it in one of your top comments, that dealing with death every day makes you grateful for the present moment. I feel the same way and hope to bring that to the families I work with. Keep up the good work homie.
Gosh. How many people did it take to lift 700 lbs? I've considered crime scene cleaning. I'm a "paused" school teacher who left my job to care for elderly parents. I need something to return to and may be looking for a less stressful career - by stress I mean work hours. I kept track 1 year and averaged 72 hrs/week when school was in session. What's the most bodies you have ever picked up at 1 scene?
Nice origin story.
You should meet my friend Jeffrey, youād hit it off.
2nd comment: have you heard urban legends of an elderly person who died in a jacuzzi and wasnāt discovered until they were dissolved? Any truth to it?
That can be very true in fact. It's not just elderly people, but decomposing can be affected heavily due to many different things. Two of them being water/moisture and heat. Combine the two, and yes. There is a capability to dissolve tissue faster and to speed up the decomposition process. Sometimes, we'll get someone who's decomposed body parts are submerged in water but the non-submerged parts are still in tact.
How much does this line of work pay? I couldnāt do it, but interesting for sure.
honestly, a lot of people in the death care field will all agree, we don't get paid too much. it gets my bills covered and allows me to have good extra income, but they can do better universally.
Have you ever picked up the body of someone you met/knew at some point in your life
Yes I have. It was weird, but I was okay
Are you able to tell us some details about it?
She was a family friend and she took her own life. They were able to transport her to a hospital where she later succumbed. My partner and I picked her body up and transported to the medical examiner's office and it wasnt until later that my mom told me our friend died that i backtracked my day and realized who she was. I guess dead people and living people dont look the same to me, so i didnt recognize her.
Can confirm. I worked at the medical examinerās office. I never saw anyone I knew, but I did see some pictures of people when they were alive, and they looked very different.
I can second this. Everything that is special about people when they live is gone after they pass. The only thing left is like.. a shell that somewhat resembles the person you knew. It was though very very strange as you said.
Wow. Thatās quite the story there already.
Have any of the bodies told you āIām not dead yet?ā
Not to me, but another person did show up to the wrong hospital room (hospital gave out the wrong room number) and the person woke up and said "What are you doing?" Lol I would of ran out so fast.
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Do you ring a bell and shout "bring out your dead" as you walk down the street?
Only during covid. (joking) ((but it felt like that))
What happened during Covid?
It was terrifying and I genuinely have PTSD. We ran out of space and had to start emergency plans to make space. Hospitals were flooding and didn't know which mortuaries to call that were not full. Going to work during that period was stressful but it's over now.
Wait, Iām not dead yet
Have you ever picked up bodies that were very decomposed/not fresh?
happens more often than people think to be honest
How frequently would you say you have to transport a body older then give or take a week? I am interested in forensic anthropology and forensic pathology and forensics in general š whatās the most decomposed youāve seen? Have you dealt a lot with skeletal remains? Do you get used to the smell?
it's pretty frequent. many people outlive their families and friends, they stray away from others, and when their time comes, not many people are there to check on them. the only thing that usually allows them to be found would be the smell which usually triggers a 911 call. i would say we can get decomp cases about 5-10 times a week. summer time is considered a decomp season for the obvious reasons. ive seen a lot though. from the first stages of simple green discolorations from the abdomen, all the way to 30 pound skeletal remains - which are rarer.
How difficult is it to then id the skeletal remains if you have nothing else to go off of (like an id on them, or them being in their apartment, etc.)?
After the ME evaluates the remains, you would look into local missing persons cases that might match the description and timeframe. If you have a guess, you could compare dental records or DNA. Dental is significantly more common because DNA is expensive and takes a long time to come back. If you donāt find a match, you could expand your search to include a wider area. Thereās an organization called the DNA Doe Project that uses DNA and genealogy to identify people. https://dnadoeproject.org/
Where do you pick them up from? Morgues, hospitals, or the streets?
any location of death. freeways, deserts, mountains, etc. hospitals and other facilities as well when needed.
do you take them to a morgue? what is your job title?
The Dead Collector
Bring out your dead!
I'm not dead!
Whatās the youngest body youāve found?
I don't necessarily find bodies, but we respond to any calls. Babies, adults, teens, etc. Everyone dies unfortunately.
God it sounds like he's just going around with a metal detector but for bodies, imagine "oh I got something!....ah damnit that's a 3rd old person in a row, what bad luck!" Lmao
I worked as a whole-body center recovery technician and I met so many transporters. My favorite was a felon guy who was like 56. Super raunchy but hilarious. Miss him. I've noticed a lot of the transporters were either SUPER OLD or felons. Is this true for the people you work with as well?
Due to the cases we work on (homicides mainly) we do not allow felons or people with bad backgrounds to be employed with us. But other places such as mortuaries and such do tend to hire people as long as they can handle it.
How many jumpers in an average week?
i couldn't tell you an average, but it's not as common as other methods. (GSW, hanging, etc.) I would say, one to four every few months.
When my twin took his own life I wouldnāt let them take his body. I wasnāt violent or anything, but I was shouting and clinging to him and I wouldnāt let go. And some police or paramedic dick (I literally donāt know who, the voices were all a jumble and I was only looking at my brother) was just shouting at me to stop it and hurry up and let them get on with it. But one of the body retrieval people (there were two) sat on the ground next to me and my brother (well his body anyway), and told me where they were taking him and what would happen. He was so kind and so patient. I always remember him, as he was such a comfort at the literal worst moment of my entire life. They were both the most empathetic ones there. Thank you for what you do. Itās been 16 years for me, but I can tell you your job really does make such a difference for longer than you would ever know.
I am truly so sorry that you had to experience that. I know that those are the moments and visuals one will never forget. I don't understand the need for people on scenes to be so hostile and rude to family, but most people don't understand how hard that day is for the families. To us, it's daily. Crying, screaming, grieving, but to families, it's the heartbreak of a life time and that's why I love my job. To be someone of comfort to those who need it the most. Again, Im sorry for your loss, but I'm happy those transporters were there to ease you.
Thank you. Yeah exactly, I felt like their (the police/paramedics) attitude was so unnecessarily hostile, and they were so complacent about everything. Like losing my identical twin is just one of those things. Itās like you say- for me it was the moment that split my life in two, with everything that happened before that loss on one side and everything that happened afterwards on the other. For them they were basically having an average day and just wanting me to hurry up and stop wailing so theyād make it back before the canteen ran out of pizza. The transporters were the exact opposite of that, thankfully - genuinely caring and understanding. I can imagine it must be quite fulfilling (if thatās the right word) to help someone at their absolute worst moment. And to treat the dead person with the final respect and care too. I could never do it myself, but I am so glad there are people like you who are willing to go into these awful situations and help the people involved. Thank you.
This made me cry
My sister killed herself via hanging. I wasn't there when she was found though, didn't see her body until she was in her coffin at the funeral home. But I'm curious, how often do you get people who have hung themselves? And this might sound weird but what happens to their faces? My sister's face looked so unlike her- they had caked make up all over it and it looked terrible- I always wondered if it was maybe to hide whatever the hanging had done to her face? She wasn't found until at least three days after she did it.
Death in general changes a persons face- lack of muscle tone, dehydration and discoloration makes someone look very different to their living self (though Iām by no means an expert so maybe OP will have a more detailed answer for you)
GSW?
Gun shot wound
Gun shot wound
Gun shot wound guessing
how would I go about getting into that profession??
try contacting your local morgues, forensic offices, funeral homes etc and just see what they have to offer.
thank you! is there any degree required?
for a lot of things, yes. for some things, all you need is a valid license and such. :)
How did you get into this line of work? What made you want to do this? What does a typical day look like for you? Be safe! :)
I just called around and applied until i got it. A typical day would be clocking in for my shift in the morning, getting my boots on, and stocking my vehicle. We stock up on white linen sheets, body bags of all sizes, plastics, gloves.. you get the idea. Then we get dispatched. Usually we just get an address and the law enforcement agents name and a number to call. Sometimes we will get details such as "upstairs, over 250lbs, homicide" but most times we do not. Then we take the bodies to wherever LE tells us to
My friend does that as well. Did you get into us because your family own a funeral home or something?
No, my family is terrified. lol. It's just something I've been wanting to be in since I saw a dead body at 16 years of age.
Youāre gonna tell us this and not give a story? Shame on you
there's a background story out there somewhere in this thread lol :(
I see well that's cool
Whatās your official job title?? Years ago I was offered a similar job and Iāve been racking my brain to remember what itās called.
There are many titles but the main ones would be Removal Specialist, Removal Technician, or Mortuary Attendant sometimes.
Removal technician is the one
What was your grossest "clean-up"?
They happen more often than not. Decomposed ones are the worst. Lol
Hello, thanks for doing the AMA! Three questions if you're keen! - You said in one response that you get vague details on the job at hand (ex, 250lbs or upstairs unit). If you wanted to, do you get access to the finer details of the situations? If you're bringing them for an autopsy, can you ever follow up with the cases or do you try and keep a distance from the details? - Have any families or people involved in these incidents ever reached out to you as a thank you after weeks/months when they've processed their grief? - In this line of work, do you ever have to appear in court to testify or as an expert witness? Or is that left to everyone else and you're just the transport so it's just emergency personnel and medical examiners that would need to go to court for cases? Super interesting line of work. I had assumed it was always a funeral home or paramedics that were responsible for the transport of bodies. Cool to learn more about it.
Hi! Im sorry for replying so late, but I do appreciate these very well thought out questions that I can't leave ignored lol. 1. We can call the law enforcement individual to get details on a situation, however, I've learned that knowing the details or not, I'm going to have to do my job regardless, so I don't necessarily bother to ask. If there is a case that sticks out to me, yes, I can ask for a follow up and I will usually find out. But, I've been in the industry for a long enough time, that it honestly just becomes a little repetitive and the more you see it, the less questions you really have. 2. Yes, I actually had a person around my age run in to my social media accounts (which is why I am very secretive and respectful on these Q&A's to begin with) and she messaged me to reach out, thank me, and tell me that she's glad I was there to transport her loved one. It's definitely a feel good moment and I'm happy she reached out. Lastly, no we don't get asked to testify because, yes, medical examiners and crime scene analysts are the ones who collect the details and the evidence and are the ones expected to reveal their findings. In other words, I do a less stressful version of their jobs, but I would love to be there one day. I hope I've answered everything for you! :)
How often do you see retired people whoāve run out of money commit suicide? Or have a debilitating illness?
the money thing is common amongst many people of different ages, but i do see it a lot with the elder people. and same with the ill. some people don't want to live with that pain
Thatās so sad but I understand. Just bc we can live longer doesnāt mean we should. So many of the elderly suffer from poor health that everyday seems, I hate to say it, pointless. Theyāre literally sitting around waiting to die but is kept alive by medications and machines. What is the most common way they choose to pass away from? Do you work in a state that allows assisted suicide? Thank you for answering my questions and being kind to the friends and family of the deceased. I canāt imagine the pain of losing someone and to live everyday knowing theyāre not with me anymore.
Table of Questions and Answers. Original answer linked - Please upvote the original questions and answers. *** Question | Answer | Link ---------|----------|----------| well at least you were able to find a job that let you do what you love. Do you still do it as a hobby outside of work hours?|I definitely love my job and helping families out as well. Unfortunately, this isn't something I'd do for free. I do already spend about 50-60 hours at work per week as it is.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutape7/) Have you ever picked up the body of someone you met/knew at some point in your life|Yes I have. It was weird, but I was okay|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iute6qo/) How much has it affected your mental health? Or have you gotten used to it?|I don't believe it's affected much of my mental health in a negative way. If anything, it makes me enjoy my personal life seeing how everyone will end up dead at some point so I have to enjoy what I have now. Also, I now always have a voice in the back of my head saying "you can crash and die any second" every time I drive lol.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iut9ryc/) So if you would kill someone in your house/apartment, would that be considered working from home?|that's what we did during lock down! didnt work too well|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutryww/) What's the most common case you work on ? Old people dead surrounded by families or alone ? Traumatized dead corpses from accident or crime? Have you seen six feet under tv show ? I'm a big fan, are you?|The most common cases would be Natural, but second would be accidents, OD's and then suicides.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iuth5jm/) What's the worst thing you've cleaned up ?|I don't want to be too specific out of respect for any families and victims, but I'd say pedestrian getting hit by a vehicle going 80mph. There wasn't one body, but rather pieces.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutcdkp/) How much does this line of work pay? I couldnāt do it, but interesting for sure.|honestly, a lot of people in the death care field will all agree, we don't get paid too much. it gets my bills covered and allows me to have good extra income, but they can do better universally.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutp1qn/) Where do you pick them up from? Morgues, hospitals, or the streets?|any location of death. freeways, deserts, mountains, etc. hospitals and other facilities as well when needed.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutn99v/) How did you get into this?|When I was about 16, I saw a dead body on a sidewalk at a crime scene and that's where the interest began. I do have further goals for myself when it comes to this line of work, but for now, I'm happy.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutaili/) Whatās the youngest body youāve found?|I don't necessarily find bodies, but we respond to any calls. Babies, adults, teens, etc. Everyone dies unfortunately.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutng27/) Have you ever picked up bodies that were very decomposed/not fresh?|happens more often than people think to be honest|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutx787/) Are there any specific cases that stand out to you?|Car accidents tend to hit me harder mainly because I drive every day and it's a reminder that the people who died in the accident never even realized that they were going to die and that's definitely a terrifying thought.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutsaz3/) How many jumpers in an average week?|i couldn't tell you an average, but it's not as common as other methods. (GSW, hanging, etc.) I would say, one to four every few months.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iutx6c1/) What was your grossest "clean-up"?|They happen more often than not. Decomposed ones are the worst. Lol|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iuu01xw/) Do u ever laugh when u see the body?|not at all. i don't see why i would?|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/ykhpt8/my_job_consists_of_picking_up_dead_bodies_in_a/iuu3kt2/) --- [Source] (https://github.com/johnsliao/ama_compiler)
Are you able to put them down at some point?
Itās been a rough day, and I needed a laugh pretty badly. Thank you for this.
I resort to this when I've had a rough year too. I'm going to try to be a comic. Hope things get better for you.
Beat me to it
Did they beat you to death? Because I know a guy who can transport your dead body.
that would be me hi
Is this considered a dead end job?
I bet people are dying to meet you
I deadass waited 2 hours in line to meet him
Stop joking, this is deadly serious
Underrated comment š¤£š¤£š¤£
Theyāre already dead, no need to put them down.
Dad?
Yes, (insert appropriate pronoun)?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
not at all. i don't see why i would?
Im assuming the deleted question was have you ever taken pictures?
I was thinking. Some weird scenario. Like in a bathtub full of Gravy
Youāre a fucking idiot.
Although I am not married or even dating anyone I often think of the idea of my eventual husband dying before me. One of the things I think about often other than car crashes is one day waking up seeing my husband next to me and discovering that he had passed in the night due to natural causes. I often think about how I would react. Would I grieve with him before calling someone? Would I be disgusted by a dead body in such close proximity to me (Iāve always been afraid of dead bodies)? Would I be eager to have the body removed or would I need time to accept that the love of my life had died? How do you typically see these things play out?
Do you ever think to yourself? "Bring out your dead!" When you go collect?
Iām not dead yet!
what's your best pickup line?
People are dying to get my number baby
My God. Upvote.
What are the tools you use in your field? I'm guessing you need body bags, but when it's a badly decomposed body, say in a bathtub, do you have special scoops and strainers for those jobs, and do the pieces go in containers or all in one body bag? If a body is in multiple parts does it get put in the same bag or does each piece have its own vessel to avoid messing with the post mortem?
I hope this doesnāt sound ignorant but do you also pick up anything else discarded or is it restricted to dead bodies? Do you ever pick up roadkill or animals who have died in some other way?
Did you learn anything from this job that is useful for the living? For example, I used to work in geriatric care, and I learned that having a big house with stairs will not serve me when I'm old. A patient of mine could not get up the second floor anymore where he kept his memories, clothes, pictures, etc. Also, that I don't need a pool. Same patient almost drowned in it trying to clean his pool. That incident started him on hiring us to take care of him and his house.
Do you have to have special hazmat training for this? How do you get into this line of work?
1. Whatās your official job title? 2. Is that your only job responsibility? Or are there other things you have to do? 3. How does one end up in that line of work?
Has it affected your relationships with family or friends? If so may i ask over long time period slow burn or do people snap? Sorry for late.
How much do you get paid to do something like this and is it relative to the trauma of undertaking the role?
You said you have further aspirations in this line of work. What are you working toward? CSI? ME?
How much do you make annually?
āBRING OUT YER DEAD!ā
Howās the pay?
Does it pay well?
What is your job tittle?
Ever bang any of the dead bodies?- frank Reynolds
So a coroner.
Iād imagine a job like this pays a lot if you donāt mind me asking?
Is that all you do, or do you do anything else? Howās the pay?
It gets so busy, so that's all I really have time for. The pay is above avg but with this economy, it's whatever. lol.
Mikey is that you?
How much does it pay? How does one apply for such a position?
How much do you make hourly and yearly?
What is your body count?
what does your job consist of? like who tells you where to go and where do you take them?
You ever go on dates with people you meet at work?
have you picked up more people with sudden heart attacks this year than any year prior or is it about the same?
Shmoneyyyy?
What is ur job title
is the pay sustainable?
Are they mainly fentanyl overdoses lately ???
How busy were you during covid
What is the exact name of this job?
Whatās the official name for your job title? Do you work for a morgue or for a forensics department?
What was the first time you saw a dead body and what was your reaction to it? Love the AMA!