If you were to die alone in your house, how long would be until someone found your body?

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A nice cheery story for the long weekend — the front page of today's Standard Lite tells of a woman who expired some time around Christmas 2003 and wasn't found until January this year when bailiffs went to repossess her house for non-payment of rent.

She was sat in front of the still-on TV in a "largely skeletal" state.

SO — if you were to drop dead while watching Hollyoaks on Sunday, would you be buried before Easter 2008?

― Six Feet Under (Hello Sunshine), Thursday, 13 April 2006 10:30 (twenty years ago)

Depends if you have pets to eat your putrifying flesh and hide the smell of decaying person.

― Treblekicker (treblekicker), Thursday, 13 April 2006 10:35 (twenty years ago)

'She was sat in front of the still-on TV in a "largely skeletal" state.'

If I was in advertising I'd be flogging that as a concept for a campaign for whatever brand tv it was.

― dr lulu (dr lulu), Thursday, 13 April 2006 10:36 (twenty years ago)

I spose this is where living with others has its advantage - it wouldnt happen if yer flatmate/partner came home to find you expired in front of WOW or Neighbours or wotever. But god does this worry me.

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 13 April 2006 10:40 (twenty years ago)

they took a year before getting her for non-payment? shit, i should try this.

"I spose this is where living with others has its advantage"

haha

― enrique, pseudonym, Thursday, 13 April 2006 10:41 (twenty years ago)

My flatmates could probably spot a lack of vital signs quite easily. I normally get up first, so if it was in the morning I might be there for an hour.

― Anna (Anna), Thursday, 13 April 2006 10:42 (twenty years ago)

Was there not some story a couple of years ago about the really industrious german guy who was first in his work in the morning and last to leave?

He was very quiet, never left his cubicle, apparently folk greeted him in the morning and said cheerio when they left. It wasn;t until he started to rot that people realised he was dead.

Scary. It couldn't happen in my work - the bosses are on you if your phone rings more than twice without you picking it up.

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Thursday, 13 April 2006 10:45 (twenty years ago)

"My flatmates could probably spot a lack of vital signs quite easily"

I wish had the same faith in mine.

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Thursday, 13 April 2006 10:47 (twenty years ago)

they took a year before getting her for non-payment? shit, i should try this.

I know!

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 13 April 2006 10:59 (twenty years ago)

What.."sorry I couldn't make payments for the last two years but it's because I was dead."

― dr lulu (dr lulu), Thursday, 13 April 2006 11:01 (twenty years ago)

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Housing Trust said: "Ms Vincent moved into the property which is general needs rented accommodation in February 2003. Housing benefit was in part paying Ms Vincent's rent, therefore there was no reason to suspect anything unusual had happened given her age [40].
"During this period our records show that the Metropolitan Housing Trust was not contacted by neighbours or family to raise any concerns and so we were only alerted when significant arrears built up and we tried to gain access to the flat. "

She added: "Tenants are entitled to their privacy and we followed our standard legal procedures. You can start sending letters and knocking on doors but it's still someone's home."

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Thursday, 13 April 2006 11:04 (twenty years ago)

If everything were paid through direct debit, they'd have no reason to come round to her house, leaving her to rot in peace!

― not-goodwin (not-goodwin), Thursday, 13 April 2006 11:04 (twenty years ago)

i think about this sometimes, living by myself.

i don't get visitors and if anyone texts me its just to see if i'm up for a pint and that's a rare event these days, if i don't reply they'll just take it as a no. i don't really see anyone rushing around to see if i'm alright.

so my work place would be the people to rely on for calling the police or whatever if i'd not turned up. But for how long they'd leave it I dunno, the people in my office are not in my department so they wouldn't be any wiser, my only other colleague and boss are situated in another city so if they hadn't contacted me for several days i could be lying dead for a good month or so.

geez, now I'm really depressed for the easter weekend.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 13 April 2006 11:24 (twenty years ago)

Yeah well so are we now, cheers!

― dr lulu (dr lulu), Thursday, 13 April 2006 11:30 (twenty years ago)

Have a huge slice of cake.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 13 April 2006 11:31 (twenty years ago)

...but don't choke on it...

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Thursday, 13 April 2006 11:35 (twenty years ago)

I've started to not answer the phone on the rare occasions that it does ring, and I hate everyone, so people may not be surprised enough at me dropping off the face of the earth. However, I am supposed to do band practice twice a week, so I reckon by the beginning of the third week people would realise that it wasn't me just being incredibly arsey, but something far more sinister.

― emil.y (emil.y), Thursday, 13 April 2006 12:15 (twenty years ago)

Erm if you died alone in your house that would mean your brain was dead and therefore, unable to care.

― not-goodwin (not-goodwin), Thursday, 13 April 2006 12:43 (twenty years ago)

Assuming you have a brain.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 13 April 2006 12:45 (twenty years ago)

Is that a reply to anyone in particular, or to the question in general? Either way, you are right, but the point of the exercise is to wallow in misery about how few people like us NOW, by projecting our thoughts into the future.

― emil.y (emil.y), Thursday, 13 April 2006 12:45 (twenty years ago)

Two days, tops.

― Gilbert O'Sullivan (kenan), Thursday, 13 April 2006 12:47 (twenty years ago)

would mean your brain was dead and therefore, unable to care.

unless you became a zombie. being a zombie alone in my house would be super cool, i would continue to makes brews in a bizarre zombie-ish-habitual way. although you're right I'd probly not care.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 13 April 2006 12:51 (twenty years ago)

Um . . . if I was in bed and dropped off, I guess it might take a couple of days. Housemate R would knock on my door to borrow something or see if I was cooking sooner rather than later, so I'm sure it'll be okay. Although, as has been pointed out, I'd be beyond caring at that point.

― Johnny B Was Quizzical (Johnney B), Thursday, 13 April 2006 12:53 (twenty years ago)

I can't remember the last time I was alone in my apartment. Ugh.

― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:00 (twenty years ago)

Presumably my coworkers and supervisor would be curious at my absence, seeing as I help to open up the building.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:01 (twenty years ago)

work folks will probably notice. flatmate will probably notice. etc. if i lived alone and have no job or no interaction with others in any shape or form then i dunno.

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:07 (twenty years ago)

ilx will probably notice the sudden rise in quality of discussions

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:08 (twenty years ago)

What if you lived with a flatmate and had a job, but they all died right before you did? Then how long?

xpost - and ILX too.

― dave $1.83 (dave225.3), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:09 (twenty years ago)

I've been on my own for two nights (Mrs Trifle away on business, kids at their grandparents) and i've slept with the front door unlocked just in case this happened in the night! I think I'm losing it...

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:09 (twenty years ago)

What if you lived with a flatmate and had a job, but they all died right before you did?

This could happen! But you'd have to kill them all yourself. In which case, they'd find you right fucking quick.

― Gilbert O'Sullivan (kenan), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:10 (twenty years ago)

Also, my boss would call the police if I were more than a couple of hours late for work. My phone died one day after I'd already left the house, and then I absolutely HAD to sign something at the bank, so all in all I was maybe 1.5 hrs tardy without notice. And by the time I got here, Boss had questioned everyone she knew I was friends with and already notified HR that I was "missing". So, assuming my roommate or our landlord or the person sleeping on our sofa didn't knock on my door to ask me something within 15 minutes of my expiration, my remains certainly wouldn't last a work-day undiscovered.

WOULD EVERYONE PLEASE JUST GO AWAY?!?

― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Laurel wants to decompose in peace. Is that too much to ask?

― Gilbert O'Sullivan (kenan), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:15 (twenty years ago)

die with a continuous loop of "I'm fine" going.

― dave vire think (dave225.3), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:17 (twenty years ago)

Umm, if that happened then I reckon it would be one of the other members of my flatmates' band. Or my flatmate's girlfriend. There are three non-residents who clock up a lot of living room time at ours. Failing that it would be the nice family downstairs. If the Nigerian spammer/ fraudster type still ived in that flat we could be there for weeks.

― Anna (Anna), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:17 (twenty years ago)

In the house, maybe an hour. Out here in the office, maybe 4-5 hrs. If my wife passes away before I do, the number jumps to about a week.

― pixel farmer (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:25 (twenty years ago)

I wonder if you planned out your expiration - how long you could get away with the "Ferris Bueller" (looping a snore sound and building a door-rope-corpse apparatus).

I know if i passed (in my current state of living alone-ness) it would be quite a while. Somewhere between a month or two. I'm self employed, my friends are sorry bastards with their own problems and it also doesn't help that I'm known for randomly taking off on trips without warning or notice.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, 13 April 2006 13:58 (twenty years ago)

I wonder if you planned out your expiration - how long you could get away with the "Ferris Bueller" (looping a snore sound and building a door-rope-corpse apparatus).

Is not being discovered somehow preferable?

― Gilbert O'Sullivan (kenan), Thursday, 13 April 2006 14:26 (twenty years ago)

i think about this question a lot. i figure at the very minimum three days. if i was on leave from work it would probably be an indefinite period, i don't imagine i would be missed by anybody

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Thursday, 13 April 2006 14:29 (twenty years ago)

Possibly up to about four days, considering the rate of comings and goings in our house. And if I had my door closed.

The previous owner of our house died there, according to the curtain-twitching old man over the road. I should ask how long she was there for (and in which room).

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 13 April 2006 14:31 (twenty years ago)

Apologies to anyone who has been to my house for not telling you this before you came in. I didn't want to creep you out.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 13 April 2006 14:33 (twenty years ago)

One of my friends works for MHT, never heard of that story before!

multiple xpost

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Thursday, 13 April 2006 14:34 (twenty years ago)

not very long. I live with my parents so probably whenever the phone rang and nobody answered it!

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 13 April 2006 14:40 (twenty years ago)

If no one noticed for more than a day or so, I imagine my dogs would eat my face off. Having said that, however, as the mother of an 8 year old, I'd like to think that someone would notice sooner rather than later. Hell, I can't even go to the bathroom by myself for more than 12 seconds, so it's quite possible it would be much sooner.

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 13 April 2006 17:31 (twenty years ago)

This reminds me of a story--not my story, though... A friend of mine once told me about how a guy died in her apartment block and no one knew for weeks until the smell got so bad (middle of summer in San Francisco) that his next-door neighbors called the police. My friend's bedroom window opened onto a paved courtyard with a drain where the sewer had been known to back up, and that's what she assumed the smell was until ambulances showed up outside and they carted the poor guy off. This made me incredibly sad.

I reckon these days it would be about 1-8 hours before someone would be concerned about my vital signs. When I lived in Denver a few years ago though, I would go days at a time without communicating with anyone or leaving my apartment. Still only days though, not weeks or months or years, so someone (my neurotic mom) would've been bound to miss me.

― sgs (sgs), Thursday, 13 April 2006 19:36 (twenty years ago)

The weird thing about this story is that she was found surrounded by unopened Christmas presents. It's thought that she was maybe wrapping them at the time she died. So who are all these people she was giving presents to who didn't notice she wasn't around for over two years?

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 13 April 2006 22:53 (twenty years ago)

perhaps they were indignant about not getting a present that year

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 14 April 2006 22:25 (twenty years ago)

They probably started a thread on here bitching about it.

― Mingus Realty (noodle vague), Friday, 14 April 2006 22:30 (twenty years ago)

I hate the world.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 14 April 2006 22:31 (twenty years ago)

the presents were for people they met on ilx

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 14 April 2006 22:53 (twenty years ago)

Oh, I hope tragic dying-alone-and-not-being-found lady wasn't wrapping presents for herself. That'd be too tragic.

I'd usually be found within 24 hours, I think. Although this weekend everyone's away, so if I conk out tonight I'll probably make it as far as monday without anyone fretting too much (althogh people will think I'm rudely ignoring their "are you coming over to watch Dr Who then?" texts tomorrow).

― JimD (JimD), Friday, 14 April 2006 23:42 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Apparently her family are disgusted by the whole thing and demanding an inquiry into how it all happened.

That's her family who care about her so much they DIDN'T NOTICE SHE WAS DEAD FOR TWO YEARS.

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 06:03 (twenty years ago)

Wow, I didn't start this thread?

I reckon it could easily happen to me. I have no family nearby. My work know that I tend to keep odd hours and sometimes don't come in. I think maybe if I didn't turn up for rehearsal, that's about the only place I'd be missed.

― Alone, Jealous and SSRI'd (kate), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 09:19 (twenty years ago)

ilx would probably notice

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 09:48 (twenty years ago)

No it wouldn't. I would think I was pulling a Darnie113 and accuse every new poster of being me.

― Alone, Jealous and SSRI'd (kate), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 09:50 (twenty years ago)

The bailiffs would find you soon enough - it's different for owner occupiers.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 11:11 (twenty years ago)

I want a job where I can keep odd hours or not turn up at all without (1) notifying anyone of my attention to do so and (2) not getting sacked as a result.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 17:18 (twenty years ago)

I think seven days would be the most. If my boyfriend was away, as is often the way, it would be not until work realised I was AWOL and that might take a while. Family would just assume that I was out. How sad.

― isadora (isadora), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 22:38 (twenty years ago)

Apparently her family are disgusted by the whole thing and demanding an inquiry into how it all happened.

That's just unreal. How they could be anything but ashamed of themselves is beyond me.

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 23:50 (twenty years ago)

the wah wah thread

― city of gyros (chaki), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 23:50 (twenty years ago)

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