Chicagoist: That's Why They Stay up There

curmudgeon

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 19:04:07 -0600

In the spring of 1995 I was walking with my nieces and nephew along the DesPlaines River and we found a dead body that had been there all winter. Blue and very bloated. My nephew was about to poke it with a stick, but I stopped him in time. I had heard that a bloated body could explode. I don't know if it's true, but I sure didn't want to find out. It's s good thing the river was frozen all winter or it would have been really ripe. Those poor folks got a bigger grossout than what fell from the DMB bus.

jocelyn

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:53:47 -0600

i thought the same thing. but i'm sure the coroner wasn't racing in from home for that one. and i'm pretty sure there's always an official pronounced time of death. and that probably was tuesday morning, you know?

Marc van Bree

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:16:13 -0600

Wait a sec... What's up with "on Monday night and spotted the body in the river" and "pronounced dead early Tuesday"? I understand there are protocols and guidelines, but really, it takes that long to pronounce the poor guy dead?