Body Hidden In Wales Garden For Two Decades

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36334231

Amazing story ! You would have thought that the body would have begun to pong a bit wouldn't you ?

[ToraToraTora]

well there's an obvious line there mikey but out of politeness I'll leave it to another....

[agchristie]

Maybe the person was wanting to emigrate and held hostile views to the gentleman calling on clandestine official government business?

[hc4361]

Not necessarily

"His decomposed body was found wearing Marks & Spencer pyjamas and was wrapped in many layers of heavy-duty material, such as roofing felt, as well as shopping bags and bin bags tied with green string.
It was relatively well-preserved because of a process known as "chemical mummification", which can persist for years or even centuries."

[mikey4444]

agchristie....apparently she killed her husband with an ornamental stone frog, so I guess you could say he croaked !

[Mamyalynne]

Surprising how much plastic can disguise a smell and then of course the smell ceases naturally after a time.

[mikey4444]

Thanks hc....never knew that !

[hc4361]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-36330451

[sandyRoe]

I hope she didn't suffocate him with it. Dying from a frog in the throat is almost unheard of.

[agchristie]

She will have her defence ready - she was hopping mad.

[bookbinder]

I think it strange that no-one enquired as to why the man's pension had not been collected for 20 years [or perhaps it had! By whom, I wonder?].

[hc4361]

I watched a documentary about this some years ago. Morbidly fascinating

http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/04/11/the_corpse_of_elmer_mccurdy_and_how_it_ended_up_in_a_long_beach_fun_park.html

[jno]

no... well wrapped up, and eventually it will have ceased ponging anyway.

It might have been "mummifed" enough to be identifiable.

[anotheoldgit]

mikey4444

Do you think that there is something about this case that stinks?

[wolf63]

Did you see this link. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-35104524.

In the link that hc gave the woman looked like the guy in drag.

[THECORBYLOON]

BOOKBINDER, most benefits are paid into a bank account these days but even when folk had to cash an orderbook at the Post Office every week, another person could cash it if the claimant authorised them to do it as an Agent or there was an Appointee.

[hc4361]

bookbinder:

"Both names were on a joint bank account when she died. The inquest was told his pension was paid into the account for 18 years until the death of his wife."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3598804/Wife-smashed-husband-s-skull-stone-frog-mummified-roofing-felt-plastic-bags-body-wearing-M-S-pyjamas-home-died-18-years-later.html

[mikey4444]

Ruddy hell.....this story gets worse !

[Peter Pedant]

she told a neighbour that she once had a medical skeleton

from which I conclude the body was buried superficially and "they" were finding bones in the garden

also they mention natural mummification
and I think this means
// " Under certain conditions (normally cool, damp soil), bodies may undergo saponification and develop a waxy substance called adipocere, caused by the action of soil chemicals on the body's proteins and fats. The formation of adipocere slows decomposition by inhibiting the bacteria that cause putrefaction."// - wiki - human decomposition

when adipocere occurs in holy people it is looked on as a freedom from putrefaction, corruption and decay and therefore a sign of sainthood .... not really apposite here I agree - occurred in st Cuthbert according to contemporary accounts in 700 AD

[hc4361]

The body wasn't buried. It was kept in the garden shed for many years before being moved to her attic. The neighbours' discovered it after she died - they were clearing her flat and cut in to the package in the attic, discovering the body. There were no loose bones found in the garden.