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What should I do if I find a bag by the road that I'm concerned it's a dead body?

So I was walking and found this garbage bag that had flys on it and it was tied up. I kicked at it a bit and it did feel like something limp was in there like it was dead. Tried to untie it as well so might have my fingerprints on it. But yeah a car came up and was yeah someone actually concerned for me and he’s like I’m going to pray for you man. So that right there just got me to stop looking any further at the bag. But I’m still kinda of interested if I should’ve said something right then and there. My phone was almost dead anyway. But yeah I was thinking maybe I might find a dead body maybe a part of a dead body. I didn’t look any further but it was out of place I felt. Should I report such finds?

Evilsandwichman ,

Drop a knife next to it and run like heck

Spongebobsquarejuche ,
@Spongebobsquarejuche@hexbear.net avatar

My friend found a tent on his property. It had mold on one side of it, a horrible smell and basically a black cloud of flies. He tried to open it but the stench was so bad he just called the police.

bloodfart ,

Open it

Fondots , (edited )

Call 911, tell them where it is, explain that you found a trash bag somewhere and you’re concerned it has a dead body in it, don’t disturb it any more than you already have

I work in 911 dispatch, from my end of things this is a very straightforward call. Verify your location, one or two short lines of notes, send a cop out to check it out.

I’ve taken a few calls like this, luckily it’s always just been trash or at worst a dead animal.

One time the responding officer found some bones in the bag and was pretty sure they weren’t human, but called out our on-call coroner to be sure who confirmed that it was just a deer or something.

Similarly I once had a call from an off-duty coroner reporting a “strong smell of decomp” from the woods near a gas station or something. I guess if anyone would know it would be them. Sent a cop out, sure enough, it was a dead deer.

It’s very rare that anything like this is ever as exciting as your imagination makes you think it might be. Still, always better to call if you’re unsure.

HonkTonkWoman ,

Honest question, you seem like a great person to ask.

In the event fingerprints weren’t a issue…

What would be the best way go about this anonymously?

pearsaltchocolatebar ,

I bet it’s just a mannequin.

anonochronomus ,
@anonochronomus@hexbear.net avatar

(It’s never a mannequin)

DemBoSain ,
@DemBoSain@midwest.social avatar

911, what’s your emergency?

I found a dead body on the side of the road.

Where are you? I’m sending police to you now.

Uhh, I touched it.

OK, don’t do that. Do you have hand sanitizer?

I may have eaten some.

…

Also, I tripped. I may have slipped inside.

What does that mean?

I…completed.

Listen just stay where you are, police are on their way.

d00ery ,

And don’t forget to update us on the outcome!

turnerpike20 OP ,

Well I got a call back later from a private number I meant to answer but missed out. Since their number was private I couldn’t tell.

Subtracty ,

A similar situation happened to me! DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING Call the non emergency number! If they are annoyed that they came out and it winds up being garbage, who cares? At least you didn’t ignore something potentially very important.

In my case, it was a suitcase that had duct tape around it. That showed up overnight. I called local cops first that sent guys out that seemed bored, honestly. And my heart was racing as I answered questions. When they opened the bag, it had ripped clothes and a half used roll of duct tape. The local PD literally said “well, we don’t have a crime we can match this to.” They started to leave without the bag and I was confused why they wouldn’t at least take it for evidence? I have watched too many episodes of CSI, cold case etc and was freaking out. They left. I guess they just want to make money on traffic stops.

I couldn’t leave the situation there, and a friend knew someone in the State Police. After a few phone calls I got in touch with a detective. Who was very confused that the local cops had handled the situation like that. He arrived and took the bag into evidence and got my information. As far as I know, nothing ever came of it.

Cadeillac ,
@Cadeillac@lemmy.world avatar

How was the duct tape in the duct taped suitcase?

DudeDudenson ,

You’re asking a guy who got offended the cops didn’t take a random suitcase with clothes and tape as evidence of a non existent case enough to call up a detective who probably just took the time to take the thing to a dumpster somewhere

Cadeillac ,
@Cadeillac@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah, I guess when you put it that way

Subtracty ,

The circumstances it was found in were a little different than OPs, like I said the bag appeared overnight. And on private property where there was no road access. Little bit suspicious for a heavy suitcase to wind up in a place like that. The detective agreed. Police aren’t just there to make traffic stops. He said there were a few unsolved missing persons cases that police had searched the nearby area for on account of their circumstances. In one case, a wife went missing, and her husband was spotted circling the roads nearby for hours the night she went missing but her body was never found.

I just kept my story brief because I didn’t think anyone would be interested. But there was absolutely reason to think it could amount to something. And all I’m saying is if I get murdered, I hope the local cops I initially called aren’t on the job cause those guys acted like they wanted to be sitting in their car eating donuts.

Cadeillac ,
@Cadeillac@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah, but like, what about the duct tape?

Subtracty ,

That was part we were confused by! I literally asked my coworkers before I called the cops if this was some sort of prank they were playing on me because no one else had access to the area and it just seemed like something out of a cheesy mystery novel. When the police opened the bag and it was just clothes I was so relieved, but the roll being inside was weird. Like someone either had another roll of tape for the outside, or they preeemtively cut a length off before putting the roll inside. Who knows. I wonder if I’ll ever get a call about it, but suppose no news is good news.

dharmacurious ,

cheesy mystery novel.

Well… I guess I’ll just delete that Google doc I’ve been working on for 2 and a half years! 😭

Subtracty ,

Hey, I love all mystery novels. Cheesy or not!

CarbonatedPastaSauce ,

You’re aware that it’s legal to own more than one roll of duct tape, right? Or to tear a really long strip off the roll and wrap it around something after you put the roll inside? 😁

Cadeillac ,
@Cadeillac@lemmy.world avatar

So, do you think they were trying to hide the evidence? Including the tape they used to hide the evidence?

CarbonatedPastaSauce ,

I like to think they were planning for the mass confusion it would cause on Lemmy. “They’ll never figure this out, muhahahaha!”

But I’m on to them. Oh yes.

pdxfed ,

🤨

Annoyed_Crabby ,

In my country, you can phone the nearest station(not using emergency line) and the police will check it for you. That’s how a lot of murder victim is found in my country anyway. They will also check for suspicious package left at the train station to make sure it’s not a bomb.

TerkErJerbs ,

The person said they’d pray for you because they thought you were a dumpster diver i.e. that you were gonna eat out of the trash so that’s what happened there. And so… It was also probably just a bag of food waste going gnarly.

It’s actually really funny to me that a cop has to go look in the funky bag. That’s a better use of their time than a lot of things they get up to of a day. Nice one!

Drusas ,

The person said they'd pray for you because they thought you were a dumpster diver i.e. that you were gonna eat out of the trash so that's what happened there.

Possible, but it is a huge stretch to automatically assume that was what they were thinking.

turnerpike20 OP ,

Yeah it’s a pretty rural area. I think he was just someone looking to spread his religion to cause he basically did hold up traffic a bit. So it did seem like he was actually concerned I would be walking all the way out.

BlucifersVeinyAnus ,

I never report any of the dead bodies I find, I really hate paperwork

andrewrgross ,

I would suggest calling the city or county and reporting suspicious dumping. It could be a body. It could be a rotting animal carcass. It could have toxic chemicals in it.

You don’t need to suspect that it’s a body to call the city and report what looks like dangerous dumping.

turnerpike20 OP ,

So I did call the non-emergency phone number. Could be a waste of time for the cops or whatever. What I was doing is walking to Burger King to get a Whooper I walked 5 miles there and 5 miles back home found it on my way home.

MossyFeathers ,

Whooper

https://pawb.social/pictrs/image/a49fdf16-a3e4-4f73-af75-aa114a073e6e.jpeg

Joking aside, if you think you’ve found a body, drugs, a gun, whatever it is; don’t touch it, find a place that’s far away from the thing but in view so you can keep an eye on it, and then call it in. I know, ACAB and all that, but this is serious shit. You don’t wanna be too close in case the owner comes back, but you don’t wanna leave it either.

buttwater ,

Damn don’t think I’ve ever been “walk ten miles for burger king” hungry.

Anyway, dead bodies are typically the kind of things you want to report ANONYMOUSLY

turnerpike20 OP ,

Well it’s not the only time I’ve walked long distance.

CarbonatedPastaSauce ,

Good diet plan! Average person burns around 80 calories per mile walking at a moderate pace. You burned 800 calories to eat a 660 calorie Whopper.

CeruleanRuin ,

At the very least, OP, dumping garbage by the road is against the law, so even if it’s just regular garbage, you are reporting a crime regardless. Bonus: a cop has to deal with someone else’s garbage.

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