posted
Interesting! Not many people keep mummified infants. I fail to see why this is a police matter though, even if it was murder, the perpetrator is dead by now, even if it could be proven murder.
A part of me says the infant should be properly interred, but I dont' have any solid reason to feel that way except for socital conditioning.
If the family wants to keep it I think they should be allowed.
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Even if it was a family heirloom, why would anyone want to keep a mummified baby. Well maybe to scare the kids, "Look Timmy, this is what happens when you don't eat your veggies."
Posts: 15 | From: Bedford, PA | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
Or maybe the uncle was just a total pack-rat.
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quote:I fail to see why this is a police matter though, even if it was murder, the perpetrator is dead by now, even if it could be proven murder.
The only reason I can see for the police to be involved is to verify the baby is as old as they say it is. I don't know how long it takes to mummify a body, but I suppose it is possible that they are just making sure the story checks out.
posted
I suspect it's more about laws on how human remains have to be treated than any concern over foul play.
-Tabby the princess with claws
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posted
Mummification can happen in a pretty short period of time in the correct conditions. I'd bet they cops wanted to verify this was an old baby and maybe check to make sure there weren't any missing babies from that time period. Like Tabby says, there are also laws regarding the treatment and disposal/storage of corpses, depending on your location.
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If conditions are hot and dry enough, mummification (not ancient Egyptian style, of course) can happen pretty quickly... within a week or so, although usually a bit longer.
All the same, I had a look at the picture attached to the story and it nearly made me want to vomit. What the hell did the family do with this, display it on a shelf?
"Say, honey, let's invite over the neighbors to gaze upon our shrunken baby corpse! We can put it in the middle of the dining table as a centerpiece!" *shudder*
I mean, even if they thought it was a statue or something, it is definitely grotesque. Not something I would consider using to decorate my digs.
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If I manage to post something swipe-worthy that you would like to make your sig, you may do so with my blessing. Posts: 2486 | From: East Stroudsburg, PA | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by happyfrog: Interesting! Not many people keep mummified infants. I fail to see why this is a police matter though, even if it was murder, the perpetrator is dead by now, even if it could be proven murder.
I don't think there is a statute of limitations on murder, so I would think the police would want to investigate in case the murderer was still alive.
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If I'd found that thing among a dead relative's possesions, I would have called the police immediately. It's a human corpse, not an objet d'art. And believe me, the cops wouldn't leave the house unless they took it with them.
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I don't know how the murderer could possibly still be alive, assuming the mummy is 90 years old. Unless someone's young child smothered it or something, I'd guess the culprit (if there is one) is dead.
My guess is that the police just want to verify age, because if the mummy is, say, two years old instead of ninety, then yes, odds are good the murderer/person who knows what happened is still around.
Still...creepy. I'm with Purple Iguana; what did they do with this? I'd hope it wasn't out on display anywhere.
Posts: 384 | From: Iowa | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Purple Iguana: If conditions are hot and dry enough, mummification (not ancient Egyptian style, of course) can happen pretty quickly... within a week or so, although usually a bit longer.
This is New England. I'm not familiar with that type of weather .
posted
is keeping a mummified body really so different from keeping ashes? Personally I think I'd prefer something that looked a little more like a person.
But then again, I've never felt the need to fuss over how we treat the dead. They're dead, they don't care.
(That said, I do acknowledge that many people like to think that when they're dead nothing "untoward" will happen to them and that it fine)
Posts: 6 | From: Melbourne, Australia | Registered: Jun 2005
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DemonWolf
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posted
quote:Originally posted by Sansha: is keeping a mummified body really so different from keeping ashes? Personally I think I'd prefer something that looked a little more like a person.
But then again, I've never felt the need to fuss over how we treat the dead. They're dead, they don't care.
There are laws reguarding the proper treatment of remains. Human remains (or any other carcass) can spread disease. A buried carcass can also cause bacteria and other biproducts of decomposition to seep into ground water as well. This is why you must take grandma to a cemetery for internment and you can't bury her (or your dog either, for that matter) in the back yard.
Ashes (AKA- Cremated remains or cremains) have been burned at a temperature so high that any microbes or bacteria are dead and the ashes are therefore "safe" to keep in your home. There are still laws, however, that ristrict where you can spread the ashes.
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DemonWolf
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posted
quote:Originally posted by Fun with a 9mm:
quote:Originally posted by happyfrog: Interesting! Not many people keep mummified infants. I fail to see why this is a police matter though, even if it was murder, the perpetrator is dead by now, even if it could be proven murder.
I don't think there is a statute of limitations on murder, so I would think the police would want to investigate in case the murderer was still alive.
I beleive you are correct, there is no statute of limitations on murder. IIRC, if the murder cannot be apprehended to to a technicality like death the case would be left open, but would be given an "inactive" status to differentiate it from open cases that are being activly persued.
In this case, the police would probaly want to find out the cause of death and file a report. If the case is so old that the murderer (if any) cannot be arrested, the case will be filed and forgotten.
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quote:Originally posted by Purple Iguana: What the hell did the family do with this, display it on a shelf?
"Say, honey, let's invite over the neighbors to gaze upon our shrunken baby corpse! We can put it in the middle of the dining table as a centerpiece!" *shudder*
I would totally do that. I have a mummified cat head in a jar i'd love a mummified baby to go with it.
Posts: 177 | From: Orlando, Florida | Registered: Jan 2006
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Did anyone read the whole article from Tribrats they also have a dried beta fish that was the mummies "pet" okay this is sounding more than a bit wierd. I can't imagine having a mummified baby just laying around my house no matter what the reasoning that is what mosaleums and cemetaries evenurns are for.
posted
My question is what brand diapers did it wear?
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quote:Originally posted by diehard: Did anyone read the whole article from Tribrats they also have a dried beta fish that was the mummies "pet" okay this is sounding more than a bit wierd. I can't imagine having a mummified baby just laying around my house no matter what the reasoning that is what mosaleums and cemetaries evenurns are for.
Yeah, the fish kinda freaked me out too. I've been watching for updates but it may be a month or more for the tests to come back. I will keep watching though.
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