That time I found a dead body

 

Iris, our ferret
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Let me start this by saying that as a kid I was obsessed with forensics and true crime shows. I wanted nothing more than to be part of the FBI's Evidence Response Team. 

Also...trigger warning because I am about to talk about finding a dead body. A homicide victim. 

That being said, I used to ride my pony around the neighborhood looking for "crime scenes" to investigate. Part of that was always being on the lookout for a dead body. And I used to watch and take notes on the decomposition of animals I found that were dead. For science. 

I also had (still have) a very very active imagination. I was constantly writing new murder mystery books as an elementary schooler. 

Sooooo, when I came home one morning from riding my pony and casually told my grandparents that I had found a dead body in the woods they were suspicious* (end note). They did call the sheriff, and it turns out other people had called the sheriff as well then we drove down there so they could confirm. 

I was riding, as I did every single morning, and I saw something over a gate in these woods. I rode up to inspect it and saw a naked man who had been badly beaten lying there. I called out to him to see if he responded, and he didn't. The neighbors had come out to say hi to me (it was very small town vibes wherein everyone knew everyone) and I told them that there was a bloody naked man on the other side of the gate. 

They told me to immediately come to them. They went over and looked then told me to "go on home" and they called the sheriff. This was like the early nineties, and I can't even find an article about it online anymore. 

Now, some people might ask if this traumatized me. The answer is no. I do think about this man from time to time, and I hate that he endured such a terrible end. I also think about the two kids (they were like early twenties/late teens if I remember correctly) who had beat him to death after stealing his wallet, and I wonder if they feel remorse or what their lives are like after having done this. It was a very horrific crime and entirely senseless. But I don't have nightmares or flashbacks. 

And it definitely didn't stop me from continuing on my journey of wanting to work in forensics or investigations of some type. I think, if anything, it heightened my interest because I saw the real life need for people who could look at a crime scene, know it didn't happen there, and help rewind back to figure out what did happen. 

Honestly, people get so weird when I tell them I've found a dead body, but it isn't a super exciting story. 

*Also when I share the story people often fault my grandparents for not really believing me, BUT the year prior I had been 1000% convinced that there was a dead body in the drainage pipe by my elementary school to the point that the police were called to confirm it was garbage because I absolutely would not stop talking about it. Like I said, super imaginative. 

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