The Mummified Corpse in a Domestic Setting

Abstract

A mummified body of an 86-year-old white man with a history of coronary atherosclerosis was found in the reception-room of his apartment located in a condominium of the city-center of Bari (Southern Italy) approximately 7 years after disappearance. Unpaid electricity bills caused the power stations to turn off electricity while unpaid condominium bills forced the manager of the condominium to open the apartment where the body was found. The corpse was well preserved through the mummification process and no external injuries were observed. Signs of a very low insect activity were also present, reasonably consistent with a rapid skin dehydration. The body was sitting on the carpet in front of an easy-chair, fully clothed by a woollen vest with dark paints and shoes. The head was lying face down on the easy-chair. The corpse was very light in weight, fixed in the sitting position by the brittle dehydrated tissues. The carpet on which the body was sitting and the covering tissue of the easy-chair on which the head was lying absorbed most of the early putrefactive fluids coming from the corpse. The internal organs were grossly identifiable but essentially unremarkable. On histologic examination most of the tissues were found to be autolyzed. Toxicology studies revealed only decompositional products. The cause of death was undetermined but presumed natural. Based on the ante-mortem data available the corpse was soon identified by dental comparison to be that one of the apartment owner missing 7 years before. The delayed recovery of elderly people who lived alone, incapacitated or unable to get help, or even of lonely deaths of nobody seems to miss are often explained by the isolation os such people even in urban areas in addition to a deficient family support, missing social and neighborly relationships, worsening of the health and financial conditions.

Modeling Ancient Egyptian Mummification on Fresh Human Tissue: Macroscopic and Histological Aspects

“…Absence of humidity and continuous availability of a hot dry current of air are necessary for mummification; dehydration should commence before putrefaction starts. Therefore, most natural mummifications, both in forensic and historical context, are found in arid environments (Galloway et al, ; Schulz et al, ; Aufderheide, ; Byard and Tsokos, ; Campobasso et al, ).…”

A scream from the past: A multidisciplinary approach in a concealment of a corpse found mummified

“…30,31 According to our examinations, we were able to confirm the declaration of the son, who stated that the father died from natural causes and who then concealed the corpse in order to obtain his annual pension. …”

Elderly abuse: risk factors and nursing role

“…Several conditions seem to predispose to this behavior: the use of alcohol by the nurse to relieve stress, the largest number of patients suffering from dementia to attend, or aggression by the patient [19]. Moreover, elderly people living alone are also at risk for being found helpless or dead at home, as a consequence of social isolation and on-going changes of social living conditions [20].…”