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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?

ArbitraryValue ,

It was probably just full of garbage (which is also “limp” and attracts flies) and the idea of some cop having to cut it open and go through it because you called it in is sort of funny.

With that said, I have wondered about similar things. One time I saw a guy I thought might be dead but I waited a few minutes, he moved a little, and I figured he was probably just very drunk so I left. Another time I did go tell an NYC cop that there was a guy lying on the ground in the middle of a busy street, and the cop didn’t seem to care. Maybe I should have called 911 instead but I didn’t want to be officially associated with the situation.

KoboldCoterie ,
@KoboldCoterie@pawb.social avatar

and the idea of some cop having to cut it open and go through it because you called it in is sort of funny.

“Yeah, officers, uh… I definitely saw a body, at the bottom of the landfill… If you don’t find it right away, just keep looking, it’s definitely there.”

Cephalotrocity ,

This kinda thing just happened to me 2 days ago. Out taking the dogs for their evening walk and some dude was lying in the middle of his yard splayed out on his back, eyes closed, motionless and alone. It really looked like he had fallen off the roof or passed out so I waited for 10 seconds to see if I could see breathe, didn’t, said loudly “you okay there buddy”?

‘Yup’

“awesome. Have a good evening.”

😳

proper ,
@proper@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah there are non-emergency police numbers other than 911. I also say phone it in.

hddsx ,

Wait, why would you not call 911? Murderer on the loose sounds like an emergency to me

AdamEatsAss ,

I think 911 (or whatever the number is where you live) would be fine. But the argument could be made that the emergency number should reserved for active emergencies, in OPs case the victim is already potentially dead.

ricecake ,

So, you’re correct that active emergencies take priority.

That being said, in essentially every place that has 911, both numbers connect to the same place and the only real difference is pick-up order and default response.
It’s the emergency number not simply because it’s only for emergencies but because it’s the number that’s the same everywhere that you need to know in the event of an emergency.

It should be used in any situation where it should be dealt with by someone now, and that someone isn’t you. Finding a serious crime has occurred is an emergency, even if the perpetrator is gone and the situation is stable.
A dead person, particularly a potential murder, generally needs to be handled quickly.

It’s also usually better to err on the side of 911, just in case it is an emergency that really needs the fancy features 911 often gives, like location lookups.

GetOffMyLan ,

I would argue 911 is for emergencies that 100% need to be dealt with immediately.

This feels like calling it in and letting them decide priority is better. It could be anything.

ultranaut ,

It depends on the area, many people live in places where 911 is for non-emergencies too. When you call the dispatcher will ask if its an emergency and potentially put you on hold if it isn’t.

Fondots ,

It varies a bit from one area to another, but a lot of places have moved to a central dispatch model where basically everything goes through the 911 center one way or another. It’s usually best to just call 911 and cut out the middle men, worst case scenario they’ll tell you it’s not an emergency and who to call, maybe even connect you to them directly. Even if your area works differently and they do actually want to dispatch non emergencies from the station, you really need to be a nuisance before anyone even dreams of trying to get you in trouble for misusing 911, no one wants to do that paperwork or go to court for a one-off call.

Source- I am a 911 dispatcher.

If you do call the non-emergency number, one of 4 things is usually going to happen (in my county)

  1. The call comes right into us anyway, a lot of stations aren’t staffed 24/7 so when they’re not there to answer the phone it rolls over to us, or sometimes they even publish or give out a direct number to us instead of their actual inside line because most of the time we’re going to have to deal with it anyway.
  2. The station forwards you to us
  3. The station tells you to hang up and call 911.
  4. The station takes down the information, then after they hang up with you, they call us and relay it to us (and usually misses half the details we’d like to have)

Pretty much the only things the people answering the phones at the station are good for is answering general administrative questions- “can I get fingerprinted for my job?” “did anyone turn in some lost keys?” “How do I get a permit to…?” “How do i get a copy of a report?” “How do I pay my fine?” “Where was my car towed to?” Etc.

If you need a cop to do something, even if it’s just to take a report, your best bet is usually calling 911.

SpaceNoodle ,

OP killed a guy and thinks this is gonna be part of their cover story

Good_fighter_guy ,

Exactly what I was thinking

turnerpike20 OP ,

Honestly at least if it is a dead body I’ve called it in and explained that I did touch it trying to open it but couldn’t.

SpaceNoodle ,

Suuuure

Ironfacebuster ,

“we found your fingerprints on the body”

Yeah I may have reached my hand inside and felt around a little my bad

andrewrgross ,

I feel like this is a pretty crass joke to make.

A good friend of mine found a body a few months ago. It’s a pretty shitty experience. And it’s actually a lot like what OP describes. A sense of foreboding and suspicion combined with a conviction that these thoughts are foolish. And an uncertainty whether to check or to alert someone or to just try to forget it.

Op, I’d report it and ask them to please follow up with you and let you know. It’s probably nothing, and you’ll feel better once you know it was nothing, and that you did the responsible thing in having it dealt with.

swordgeek ,

Seriously?

Phone the cops. Now.

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