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.

It doesn't matter; call the police.

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.

Assuming you want to stay out of prison, you'd better not tell anyone.

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.

Call the police.

Get some water and put the fire out. Then call the police and tell them what you just saw.

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.

It's best to assume they will.

Depending on how severe the burning is, the skin could have anything from either slight burn marks or be burned completely to the point of being unrecognized. In the most extreme cases, a very burnt body could hide any valuable information like fingerprints on it. A burning body in a public location could have smoke rise that can be seen from far away.

Note that it is illegal to tamper with a dead body of a person or transport it, if you do not have the authority or the right paperwork. These answers are for information only. Hide it where it is suitable and before someone catches you. Look for the nearest hiding spot where a person would fit, like you're playing hide-and-seek. If you can drive, you can hide the body in the trunk and drive to a location where nobody else is, so you can dispose of the body without getting caught. You can use blankets or towels to cover up the body too.

Not necessarily, but that is the most common reason for a gang-affiliated person to die. There are some gangsters who commit suicide when they're in big trouble or about to get murdered.

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.

It's hard to tell unless you were right there when they were killed. When someone commits suicide by gunshot, they usually scream due the physical pain of the bullet and because they were suffering from extreme emotions causing them to take their own life. If it turns out to be murder, then the murderer quickly left the scene as soon as possible. It is likely to be a murder if the firearm is not near them, but you should just call the police and have them examine it.

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.

A quiet, empty place is the perfect location for someone to hide a murdered body, or to commit suicide without traumatizing anyone while they do it.

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.

Call the police and say there's a dead person in your house and you don't know them. It's unusual on its own that a dead person would make their way into a stranger's backyard, but inside the stranger's house? You need to get some security systems for your house too.

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.

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.

Realize that there was nothing you could do. Seek therapy if trauma remains after a few weeks. There's little else you can do.

Often a dream about actually being dead is a symbol for an overwhelming emotional problem.

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.