Q&A for How to Handle Finding a Dead Body

It takes time for that feeling of despair to pass. Every day, the pain will lessen and not be so blunt. Remember the good times, and do something in your friend's memory. You could make a photo collage, plant a tree or set off lanterns - anything that will help you feel more connected to them.

It all depends on the situation. If you have a friend over who is using the pool and a minute later you find the friend submerged and unresponsive, then yes, if you know how. Check your own safety first (carbon monoxide poisoning), yell for help, start CPR, contact the emergency services. But if you're visiting a new house you might buy and you and the realtor find a dead body there, for example, you could perhaps check for a pulse, but it's likely CPR will no longer help.

Some people look deeply into dreams, when a dream can merely be your mind processing events in your life. For example, you might be graduating school, moving house, changing friends or some other thing in your life is metaphorically "dying," and not necessarily a loved one. The dream may simply be you processing change from one season to the next.

Call the police immediately and check the pulses, they could still be alive. Try not to freak out or start hyperventilating, or you might pass out. Stay alert.

If you're an adult, try to find a therapist for your brother that he can afford or that accepts his insurance. Then, if he's unable, set up the appointment for him on his behalf. If you're younger and unable to do these things for your brother, you can talk to your parents about what you think he needs. In the meantime, just be a source of support for him if he needs someone to talk to.

Go to the doctor right away and explain you touched a dead body which has bacteria on it. Call the police, too.

If you are unrelated to the dead person you found, you have no responsibility in the matter. Once you call the police and give them a statement, your involvement is finished, subject to police approval.

Tell them that you found a dead person and you want them to take it away so they can analyze it and notify their loved ones.

You're not responsible for disposing of a dead body. Doing so would only make you look suspicious. Instead, notify authorities and let them deal with the situation.

Police will want to examine the body and its surroundings before it is moved to determine if the death is suspicious in any way.

You don’t. That's murder, a crime that will land you in prison or a mental hospital for the rest of your life. In some places you could be given the death penalty. Seek counseling if you seriously feel like killing someone.

Call the police, a suicide hotline or some trusted adult.

You could try running close to them and yelling "STOP!! DON'T DO IT!! DON'T JUMP!!! YOUR LIFE IS VALUABLE" but they may jump anyway, since they've made a concrete decision to end their life. Call 911 or any other emergency services as soon they're about to jump. In lucky cases, the person survives.

Tell the authorities at school, such as a principal or teacher, and they will call the police and have them come to the school and examine the body. When the police arrive, they will interrogate anyone at the scene, including the students, especially if the dead person is known to people at the school.

It likely means they were killed by the Mafia or another gang for doing something really bad to them. Contrary to popular belief, the cement blocks are actually only added to the body when the person is actually dead, since it takes time for the cement to dry. The actual cause of death for this person may be a gunshot or strangulation. If they killed themselves, then they stayed at the river for some days for the cement to harden up then they jumped into the water, drowning themselves.

The person was either murdered or committed suicide, or accidentally drowned in a lake. The presence of water in the lungs would mean they drowned.

That depends on what the animal is and where you are exactly. If it was something like a beached whale or someone's pet (a domesticated animal such as a cat or a dog), or the animal is on human property (e.g., a playground), then you should call the animal control or whatever else is needed right away. But if it's some dead squirrel you found in the woods, you don't need to do anything.

If the body is already on fire, call the police right away and stay away from the body as far as possible. If there are no open electricity sources nearby, get some water and pour the fire out. But if it is burnt and there is no longer a live fire, just call the police and have them examine it. It will be harder to determine if a burnt body is a murder or suicide since the fingerprints and DNA will be destroyed.

No, it's for any person you find dead. It doesn't have to be a stranger. It can be a family member or neighbor, as well.

Yes, particularly if they look suspicious. They might be Mafia. Call the police but don't tell anyone except the police that you witnessed the end of this possible mob hit. They will investigate. If those were funeral-home workers, they'd pick up the body and place it in a hearse, not leave it there and walk away.

This can be determined when a coroner conducts an autopsy. If there are gunshot/knife wounds, you tell if they were murdered if they were shot/stabbed multiple times, as just one stab/shot in the right place can be enough to kill someone. The person's occupation can be a deciding factor, as they are more likely to have been murdered if they had strong connections to a gang or the Mob.

Call the police. A police detective will analyze the body and look for fingerprints, bruises, and wounds that can determine if the person killed themselves or if someone else did it. Do not touch the weapon, as it may be loaded and you may hurt yourself.

If the kid is really little, tell them the person is just sleeping, and quickly escort them away from the body. If there is any blood, say they spilled tomato sauce or a cherry popsicle (depending on the color of the blood). A little kid isn't old enough to understand gory details yet. If the kid is older, just say the person is dead, and encourage them to ask questions about it. They may be traumatized or shocked, but assure the kid that they (the kid) are okay. You can leave the scene if the kid is disturbed.

Call the police right away. Do not touch the body because it may have bacteria and your fingerprints might go on it, causing people to think you murdered them. When the police arrive, be truthful and responsible.

Unless you have a close relationship to the person, you could just leave the body alone and wait for someone else to report it. The person's already dead, so you can't really save them, anyway.

It depends on how old the child is. If the child is a pre-teen, their legal guardians will be held responsible. A teenager is old enough to face the consequences.

The coroner will do an autopsy and examine the body; they will examine for stuff such as: any drugs if they took any, along with if there are any wounds like from a gun or a knife, and fingerprints and DNA as well. It can take several days, weeks, months, and in extreme cases, even years to figure it out.

You don't. If you find a dead body, immediately notify authorities.

You cannot, unless you are part of the agency yourself. If they gave away their identity, they wouldn't be secret anymore. If a secret agent was murdered in a public location, likely no outsiders will find out what the victim's real occupation was.

You explain that when someone dies it means their body stops working, and the dead person will be unable to think, see, hear, or feel anything. Explain that it can happen anywhere such as at the park. Don't tell them any gory details or anything else they won't understand.