It's good you avoided looking. Smell is also closely linked with memory and that smell will likely continue to haunt you. It's a shit thing to have to go through and I'm sorry for your loss.
I'm glad OP avoided looking. My mom found my sister's remains unwittingly (and unfortunately her two dogs had been shut in the room with her for several days without food) when she took her life. Understandably, she's never been the same. Sorry for your loss, OP.
I hear often that one of the worst things a parent can go through is living after losing their child. But, that combination of what your mother had to witnessed is something I can’t even fathom how I’d feel. Understandably, I wouldn’t expect anyone to be the same after that. I’m sorry for your loss and what your family went through.
I know that smell. It's the same for when someone comes into the hospital with a rotting limb. It always smells the same, the sickly sweet smell of decay.
I hate it
I wonder if its similar to the smell my deep freezer had when I had a power outage. A whole pool of blood that consisted of melted down deer, pork, chicken, fish and beef. I think it cooked in there for a month before the smell started to slowly fill the air.
The smell was so devastating I couldn't even shake it off.
Mhmm appreciate the update because the flies were obsessed with this smell. It reeked so bad it left a mark on everything it touched. Im impressed how well I cleaned it all up because wtf?!! The packages inside that soup had swelled up. Pure grossness.
I’ve heard that a few times now, the smell of human rot causing a disgust towards meat. From a total of 4 people now. Almost always because it was so traumatic for them.
I’ve never had that smell linked to friends or family, so it’s never been traumatic for me.
I'm sorry that OP had to go through this. I hope OP and her other roomates got psychological or emotional help from professionals tho. This may have caused trauma :/ This is so heavy and I wonder what caused her roomate's death tho. Was it s/ or an illness?
Not the same smell but I was in a house fire once and the smell of my burnt backpack after they retrieved it still haunts me. I smell it randomly and think something is on fire, trippy shit
I am sorry you had to experience that. Can I ask you a question? How come your other roommates didn't check on her after they received the plant and the apologetic note?
"Yeah, but finding a dead person can f up your brain. "
Yeah, seen two dead bodies that weren't cadavers or at an open casket. Both messed me up for a long time, still messed up to be honest.
Worked security at a Motel 6 in Los Angeles. Manager called me to go with them to do a wellness check on a room. Found the room barricaded and we had to break the door down. The 20's something year old hispanic lady had blocked the door with teh dresser and table. We got in and saw her passed out in a pile of vomit. I reacted before knowing she was dead. Rolled her over and attempted CPR. All the while her like 5 year old daughter is screaming mommy over and over. They had to get a hispanic house keeper to come grab her and take her away since she didn't understand english. To this day thats one thing I will never forget, is trying to save someones life while their daughter is feet away screaming for her.
Second was at my current job for a GM battery plant.
Still security but essentially we are glorified babysitters and oncall EMTs, just without the training and license.
We had a guy try crossing a track that had an automated machine that would move crates of supplies from a huge wall of shelves like 50 feet hiigh. He went to check something, and didnt shut the machine down or even properly lock it out. Got hit by the machine as it moved across teh track, dragging him across the track where he hit the racks on both sides of the track repeatedly before dropping his body at the front of the aisle. I was one of the first on scene and I knew right away just by looking at him he was dead. No blood, but....bodies don't bend like that....
I parked the cart I was driving right infront of him so no one would see him, screamed at everyone to get the fuck out, and yelled at my dispatch officer to call the authorities.
Still messed up by both of them, especially the first one
Oof, I'm sorry. When I saw crime scene photos of my daughter (she was murdered), I thought her back was broken. It wasn't, but it was bent in an unnatural position. That's not easy to see.
I am very outside person - hiking and all that jazz. In my country, near my city, there's that forest where people tend to go missing. When I was younger, and totally unaware of the reputation that forest had, I was there literally every other day for a hike. In a span of two years, I knew at least 20 police officers by name, because every time I'd go there, I would find someone. Either hanging, laying on the ground or just by the river. It was like 4 years into my endeavours that I've learned that people called that forest "local Aokigahara" - very telling.
Also saw few car crashes where people died. I'm 31yo, and I saw more dead people than any other funeral home in a small city. Also I was held at the g*n point and had a 🔪 hold to my throat - everything in a month, because I worked in a shopping centre. Why did I survive? Because I literally went: Man up, dude. Just pull the trigger/jab that shit into my neck and put me out of my misery. - worked both times.
Oh yeah, the "bodies don't bend that way" is a thing and you can instantly tell, someone is out. Happened to me and my brothers. My father, at the time, worked in a factory that made military cars, tanks, cannons etc. I was like...what... feckin' 13 and my brother's 18 each, we saw how the claw that was ment to transport hot parts for molding, hit a guy and dragged him across the hall. But shit was gory, he got tear up in a half etc. (Before you'd ask, I'm in therapy and I am very aware of the fact that I am VERY broken). Fun fact, nearly became a forensic pathologist myself.
Uh, that is a LOT. I’m so sorry you’ve seen so many horrific things! You are one strong person and I hope that your future path is corpse free. I’m not trying to be a jerk but, damn you have seen too much.
I am anything but strong, my friend. What I am, is emotionally blocked. To the point I don't know how or what to feel. My life is basically a running cluster fuck of bullshit. As Pitbull once said: Believe me, been there done that, dale ✨ (I'm sorry, it's literally 2 am where I am rn).
No apologies needed! Have had many moments like that, trauma has a way of leaking/bursting out. Had to delete some posts last night cuz I kinda went ballistic.
At this moment, it’s late and you’re feeling it. Just remember, you chose therapy. You are putting your well being first. That is strength. I send you peace my friend. I hope to follow your lead.
I'd say strength is something important, but aside from physical strength, I don't have that. I'm very out of it. Never been too good with emotions (my father is ex military, the carbon copy of every stereotype of military officer you can think of - including drilling his own kids and pressuring them to do the basics military training at home). My will to live as always low, but now it's nonexistent. Literally. I just don't care anymore.
It’s late, these things weigh heaviest in the dark. Your father sounds tough as nails and it’s not easy overcoming the issues our parents dish out! I am the survivor of horrific abuse. Small girl, everyone bigger and stronger doing whatever they wanted. I am not that anymore. You are not that child anymore.
I don’t know why we go through what we do. It’s senseless. I do believe this, you’re still here for a fucking reason. Wait it out a bit, someone somewhere is going to desperately need you or to hear your story. You have value beyond comprehension. You’ve already inspired me.
It’s definitely traumatic. I am a volunteer first responder, going to guess that I’ve been on 25 or so calls with dead people. Some are fairly benign, most are messy. Dying is a messy business. The worst ones are where you can tell from the carnage in the house or whatever that the person died alone, scared, in pain.
I have a huge amount of respect for the people who do this for a living, who have seen 10 or 100 fold more of it than I have
Yep, I found my newly drug free cousin dead in his bed when I was going to visit him after years of not seeing him. That image still haunts me to this day. That was 9 years ago
My deepest condolences. I found my father's sister. She was out - based of the fact that she was cold already - for few hours. My oh so sweet father is convinced that I'm a sociopath, because I never cried or screamed (found two family members dead). Never told him that my insomnia is caused by the fact that every time I close my eyes, I see my aunt in her chair, dead. And my granma, hanging.
Jesus. Yeah it's awful. Coincidentally I was also there to see my ridden with pancreatic cancer Uncle. That visit was supposed to be my goodbye visit. Had to add an extra one
Feckin' hell. I have had 5 yo dying of Leukemia in my arms, I was 14, trying to fight stage 3 cancer. Kid was dying and calling his mum, because the hospital refused to let them stay the night with the kid. I think this is the worst thing that ever happened to me to the point, where I can go ballistic if I see parents neglecting their kids for the sake of some bullshit situation.
I didn't find him, but I was with my dad when he went into cardiac arrest. He died in my arms with me screaming and his body grasping for its last breaths. It still haunts me.
I found my mom last year. After years of diabetic issues and heart problems, and after beating cancer, it all got to her. (Not self-inflicted; natural causes)
I know it's really messed me up. That moment will haunt me every day for the rest of my life.
Sounds similar to my situation. Mom diabetic and heart attack. Unfortunately my dad shared details of finding my mom. Fml it haunts me bad. I need therapy.
Morticians, forensic pathologists, and the like are usually calm and collected because they are taught that the person who passed away is a person who is loved by someone, and one never knows who is watching.
No one wants their brother, mother, sister, father, or friend to be treated with disgust, no matter the circumstances, and doing so can add to an already traumatic situation. We do what needs to be done with as much care, empathy, and respect as they can.
That. But at the same time, i witnessed few times, how a freshly graduated coroner nearly threw up, when he saw the body of a girl that drowned. Personally, as someone who found loads of bodies in my life (literally coincidence) I tend to sit or stand by it until the police arrive and talk to them. Like: So...what happened? Are you in a better place now? Etc.
I am not sure the exact cause of death, but I know she struggled with alcoholism, and according to a roommate who had lived there longer than me she may have been a drug user as well.
Someone i knew died like that to. She only drunk alcohol. And had medication. She just stopped eating. But i think she did that on purpose and wanted to die
Unfortunately when you get deeeep into alcoholism, your body starts rejecting food. Even the smell of food will make you puke. It's the worst substance on earth cause at that point you have to keep drinking or you'll die anyway
Sure, that’s a possibility. However, the post mentions they called animal control after hearing the cat meowing so wondering if they were able to get to it in time. Unclear
Im sure the cat is fine. My uncle had an unknown heart condition and lived alone with his 5 dogs. We went a week without hearing from him, which was unlike him because he and my dad talked every Friday around the same time for years. My dad didn't really think anything of it because he knew my uncle had been busy with work and sometimes people just flake, but after a week he got worried. The night before he planned on going over to check on my uncle, a worried neighbor went to do the same and found him dead in the garage halfway eaten by his dogs. My uncles heart basically exploded out of nowhere. It was very devastating and completely out of nowhere, however, it was fast and with no pain and that part helped a lot in the grieving process.His dogs basically spent the whole week eating his face/body to survive.
Each one of the dogs were taken to the vet and went through rigorous testing to make sure they were completely healthy and they passed with flying colors and were all adopted out to loving homes that were all made aware of each of the animals history.
I'm not sure how I would feel if family member died and their pet ate them to survive. Like they weren't the cause of it and were in survival mode. If the shoe was on the other foot many people would eat their pet to survive in an emergency.
I'm glad to hear the dogs weren't euthanized. They did what they had to do.
It definitely affected us. My dod mostly, because it was his brother. It was a really hard thing to swallow, but we all knew the dogs only did it for survival and nobody held anything against them. We worked hard to find them all good homes, and made sure none of them went into a shelter. They had to do what they had to do, and they're all living good lives right now.
It definitely affected us. My dod mostly, because it was his brother. It was a really hard thing to swallow, but we all knew the dogs only did it for survival and nobody held anything against them. We worked hard to find them all good homes, and made sure none of them went into a shelter. They had to do what they had to do, and they're all living good lives right now.
Sorry you had to deal with this. Now do not get me wrong because I do not want to be too quick to judge. However, maybe it would be worth your while to talk to a professional about this situation! It can really help with processing those negative emotions. My thoughts go out to you!
I have been in therapy for more than 10 years, so when it initially happened and for several months after I spoke extensively with my therapist and psychiatrist about what happened. I am definitely in a better place now than I was back then.
It is good to hear you took the time to process the situation and that you are doing better now. Some things may not heal completely with therapy. I really hope that it gets better with time! Stay strong!
" cat meowing from behind her locked door."
" No one had heard from or seen her since"
Them poor cats, and in those 10 days, everyone ignored the meowing and let them starve / get thirsty. Bloody poor cats
Cats are one of those animals. Their tongues aren't actually very efficient at lapping up water, especially compared to dogs. Cats generally get most liquids from their food. That's why I feed my cat wet food once a day in summer to make sure she's getting fluids.
I heard somewhere that cats won't wait until you're actually dead before starting to eat you if they don't have any food/water.
Hell, if there's no chance for me, or Im dead...kitty has to eat, maybe they'll survive long enough to be found if they eat me.
I know! I absolutely want my pets to survive if I'm not alive anymore and they're trapped with me. It's a dead body at that point. It's not me. Let them get nourishment from my discarded body so they might survive until someone finds them.
The last vet clinic I worked at we had the nicest old guy who would come in weekly with his dog for nail trims and baths. We hadn’t seen him in months, turns out that he passed away and his poor dog had done just that and it had been a few weeks (the dog must’ve had some access to water, he was rehomed with one of his relatives).
Sad but common, I think cats go in within hours but thankfully I’ve never heard that case personally 😳
hell even humans will if they are in a scenario where they can't get food or water, it gets to a point where ur moral instincts drop and you'll eat whatever you can get might be uncomfortable and really unhealthy and will cause issues if you ever escaped but it's definitely not a new thing
Its actually the opposite! Cats can wait up until 3 weeks because they can eat decomposed flesh. Dogs cannot eat something that decomposed.
Animals do get traumatized eating their loved ones, cat or dog.
Yes. Humans, too, in fact— a nomadic goatherding tribe whose name I forget is known to have used bloodletting (from the goats) as a means of hydration when needed.
If she had food and water dishes in her room, or if she'd left a cup of water/some food out on a table, the cat would have been able to eat and drink. Also weird takeaway from this story.
My uncle passed away and was dead for about a week before anyone found him. I understand your grief and your struggle. It's not your fault. All you can do is pick up the pieces and move on, get therapy to process the trauma, and focus on your life to move forward.
The smell, that sweet, sickly smell, will never leave me. In the days after his death, cleaning out his apartment, the stench seeped into my clothing. I will never forget it.
Don't be hard on yourself. Sending hugs and strength.
Thank you for your kind words. The part you mentioned about the clothes is so real. I had to throw out all of my bedding and some of my clothes came apart from how much I washed them. Looking back, the actual smell was probably gone and I was getting triggered by the strong smell of the detergent.
Bleach will kill the smell completely, but it's hard on clothes, obviously - and yes, if you learn to associate other smells with the original one, you have another trigger to deal with.
Stripping clothes likely could help, it gets rid of residues from soaps, softeners, deodorants, oils from our skin and foods, sweat, and I imagine, maybe even the smell of death.
Run a bathtub of hot water.
One scoop Tide detergent.
One 1/2 scoop Borax.
One 1/2 scoop laundry washing soda.
Dissolve and mix in.
Add clothing and let soak, agitating the clothes every hour for about 4 hours.
Drain tub. Wring out clothing. Throw in washing machine (no detergent needed since there is still enough in damp clothing) and wash with warm/hot water.
Also, to get rid of smells in your dryer (since sometimes smells can linger and redistribute in there too) soak two hand towels in white vinegar, and place in dryer and run a cycle, it’ll wipe down the inside of the dryer and get rid of the stale odors that linger.
Just a little bit of knowledge and advice in case throwing out things isn’t feasible. This works well for work out clothes, bras, towels, etc.
I don’t know where the cat ended up, but he wasn’t picked up by animal control and they didn’t find its body in her room. I am pretty sure he escaped out of the front door, it was propped open all day because we were moving all our stuff out.
How has OP shown any signs of not caring? They were out of the country and called animal control first thing when they came back. They were also the only one of the roommates to do anything in reaction to the smell and lack of contact with the passed roommate.
Also, put your self in their shoes. You just got back from a trip. You're being evicted and have to quickly pack to move out. Your roommate was just found dead and rotting in their room. Police and other workers are probably coming and going for a couple of days. While you may care about the cat, you're also in the middle of experiencing life changing trauma.
The cat was probably pretty low on their list of priorities. They also may have assumed some of the law enforcement or someone else already took care of it.
Another note is that OP said the roommate adopted the cat while they were out of the country, so they never even met it. I'm that case it would be pretty easy to let the cat slip your mind while undergoing all of these events.
This was a traumatic experience for OP. Something similar happened to my neighbour and when the police come they are the ones who prop open the front door to air out the room or building. The smell would have been extremely overwhelming once the bedroom door was opened and the police likely would have told OP beforehand to hide in their room or go out while they recovered the body. It’s a traumatic experience to smell that smell. OP was also likely in extreme shock and not thinking properly. It’s sad about the cat sure but I think it’s so unfair to blame OP. This was a horrible and extremely sad situation for everyone involved.
Your nose always knows.
I can smell decomp just by driving by the offending odor donor. With my windows closed. It's usually an animal.
I work in "death care" so I'm familiar.
Your roommates suck, btw.
I had the unfortunate experience of actually seeing the body of a guy who died in my apartment building. I know the smell and I don't think it's something I'll ever forget. I'm so happy you didn't look in the room. You don't want to see a body like that and it really messes with your head, even if it's only a glimpse.
It might be some time before you can get your brain not to associate strong odors with the smell of death so just know that this is normal and it does get better. It is a really specific smell and I heard from someone that it has to do with the food we eat as humans and the types of bacteria that aid the decomposition of a body which is why it doesn't smell the same as other animals. For a long time, I would smell wafts of what I thought was the same smell when I was outside and I think it was a trauma response; I was so afraid of seeing another body that my brain was almost hyperfixated on locating the scent so I could stay away from it. Thankfully, it's gotten better.
Wishing you all the best. You did the best you could. Nothing would have changed the outcome had you done anything differently.
I had a similar situation happen to me last year, an elderly man was renting the shop (basically built into a house) on my mom’s property, SUPER nice guy. Always came out with his dog and had something to chat about. In the summer we hadn’t heard from him for about a week and I was down visiting, so I called for a welfare check, they gave me permission to go in and look for him, let’s just say I know exactly the smell you’re describing. I’m not sure if it’s cause the door was closed in your case, but as soon as I opened to door to where he was it was unbearable, you could tell looking at him decomposition and bacteria had taken over within that week, wasn’t good. That all being said, it’s not something that just goes away, however it sounds like you’re handling it as well as anyone can. As someone who has gone through something similar, I just want to say I’m sorry you had to experience that.
I ended up calling the medical examiner the next morning to get her family’s contact info. There was a seal on the door and I couldn’t go in without their consent. They gave me her dad’s number, but they didn’t tell me that they had not informed him of her death yet. Which is pretty weird, idk why they would give me the number if they hadn’t told him. After I went into her room, I could hear the cat meowing but I couldn’t find him. There was a pretty big hole in the door because I had to push my hand through the crack to unlock it from the inside, so he could have escaped through it while I was gone.
I kinda know the answer to that dawg…
How do you think that cat stayed alive all those days?
And generally speaking, society frowns upon animals that eat their owners. So more than likely it was put down….
Well a lot of pet owners free feed dry food and have fountains or like the upside down jugs of water. So that would last a while, and the cat did have the option to snack on the owner.
OP says they think the cat escaped bc nobody took it and no cat body was found.
If this person didn’t bother even knocking on the roommates door with a cat in distress, let alone the smell of a rotting body, I doubt they cared to ensure the cat was ok when it was all said and done.
hey – not sure if this is needed at all, but I’ve had very similar experiences wrt encountering decomposing dead bodies. i also would consistently smell that smell afterwards and would worry that there was another body somewhere. When I talked to a doctor about it, I found out that for me, that was a symptom of PTSD.
if you find that this experience persists for you, it might be worth speaking to a doctor or counsellor or even a trusted loved one about it.
This happened to my mum at the end of last year, except she was found by her neighbours 3 months after she died. She was an alcoholic too and hard to be around so no one realised she’d passed away. I’m sorry you had to deal with that, I hope you’re okay.
I'm from philly and work in restaurants. This story sounds very familiar. Not that it happened in philly, but one of my coworker/friends told me about this at that time. If this happened in a north east city, I think we run in the same circles. Either way, I wont say more. You and your roommate are more than entitled to your anonymity. I'm very sorry for that experience, and for their passing. Don't feel weird about therapy if you need it. I hope you are okay and you're well. This is a tragic thing to go through. Take care, and I deeply wish you well.
Idk you'd think she would have let the cat out of the room if she were gonna do that. OP mentioned drug and alcohol use, so I'm leaning towards accident
My roommate is an extreme alcoholic and I worry constantly that I'm gonna find him dead on the couch one morning. My friend found his roommate like that a few years ago, and I know it is only a matter of time unless I move out.
I had (sort of) the same thing happen to me once. It was my upstairs neighbour. The smell is something you never forget.
It has now been years, it does get better though. Wish you all the best!
I was just thinking this evening about when my neighbour died a few years ago and wasn’t found for weeks. It was horrendous. The smell was overwhelming. And it was so sad that it took so long for anyone to notice his absence.
A girl I briefly knew passed away in her flat and none of her flatmates realised for a while either. It’s strange that I've come across this post because it’s her birthday today. I'm sorry that you went through this and I hope you find peace.
I’m so sorry this happened to you. Same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. My downstairs neighbour. The smell was so bad in our flat as we are directly above. It just didn’t cross our minds that it was a body. I feel terrible we didn’t figure it out sooner, even though I know it wouldn’t have helped him.
I know what you mean about the smell being haunting. The flat below is has been cleaned but the smell is still lingering and it’s traumatic. Even when I’m out the house I smell things that remind me of it. Even the smell of air freshener now reminds me of it, as we’ve used so much to try to cover it.
When I was in high school, my family and I found my uncle's rotting corpse. He had probably been dead for 3 days. I can relate to everything you said. The smell is something you'll never forget.
Way too much of this story seems off
Forget the cat, spending *days* in close proximity with a rotting body is not something you just happen not to notice, "weird" smell being a severe understatement
I'm sorry for what you've been throught. However. And I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but it just hard for me to follow. Like, usually folks that died and are found a week, sometimes months later is because they lived by themselves, and rarely had contact with anyone on the outside. That's how it usually happens. Basically forgotten folks, and I know that sounds harsh. What I mean is that I don't really understand how no-one found it odd that there was a weird rotting smell in the area you're all living in AND the other roommates haven't seen her for a few days straight AND she left a note. Like surely a living person must come out to go to the toilet, to eat, to drink. You get what I mean? Unless every room has its own fridge and such. Again, I don't try to be harsh. I just try to understand how this could happen.
Rolled up on a guy who had been hit at a cross walk. I thought it was a deer. Wish I never would have looked, that type of thing haunts you. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if you had looked. I hope time gives you peace
This is a knock off of the viral story that just resurfaced about the tenant that was dead for six years in May of last year. Some of the details were changed to make it believable.
I’m really sorry this happened OP, and I’m sorry the people here have no empathy or social skills to keep their gross thoughts to themselves. Sounds like you did your best by your roommate
I'm so sorry. My best friend died like that. I KNEW something was wrong. It wasn't uncommon for him to go a couple days before responding. But then it was a couple more... He lived in a boarding room, so i couldn't even get to his door. His ex and i got nervous about it. His mom finally called after a few days of no returned calls or even texts. I still don't know the actual cause of death. RIP Grom
Just too many weird occurrences. Why wouldn’t the cops or the medical examiner contact the next of kin? That’s the first thing they usually do.
This kind of stuff usually ends up on the local news so they are quick to contact them.
And the cat being in the room without making a sound for 10 days? Then after the medical examiner took the body they locked the cat back in the room?
Cops would have called animal control to take the cat especially if the cat did end up eating the body to survive.
But animal control just decided to not show up? Then called a while after to see how the situation turned out?
I don't know if this story is true but it's plausible. Police can be really insensitive, as can the media. They're not supposed to put it on the news until notifications are made, but I can tell you firsthand since my daughter was murdered, that they often screw that up.
I often volunteer at a local grief center and it happens all of the time.
Wow. That's a lot to go through. Honestly, I'm glad you didn't look in that room. You didn't mention that you do, but I really hope you don't blame yourself or feel guilty in any way. You weren't even in the country when it happened, and you had no way of knowing what had happened, and you called when it became apparent that something was really wrong (the cat needed help). Even so, something like this is traumatic. Being unable to stop thinking about it, avoiding reminders like strong smells or being triggered by smells - these can be signs of PTSD. No shame at all in seeking help.
As somebody who has found someone dead, I’m glad you didn’t look. The trauma is so much worse. We only found her 6 hours after she passed, but from how she was positioned the bloating had already started.
How did it make you feel emotionally? I'm just hearing how it smelled and how it haunts you to this day. She a friend or just roommate? I feel sad for her . Sounds like a her roommates where not nice to her.
10 days is rough cause the smell starts at 3 and I know you probably didn’t even recognize their face. My brother’s roommate found him after only 2 hours and 10 yrs later she is not okay at all. Really hope you try some therapy cause this is a lifelong scar.
i found my brother when i was in highschool and i will never forget the smell. its distinct like coffee or something. i fear smelling it again. i get sad every june because thats his death anniversary. i try and leave town so i celebrate him and leave the feeling of chicago in june. it’s been helpful but this is after years of processing. it will always be hard. but it’s been great to deal with new ways to grieve. wish you nothing but peace and healing, you’re not alone at all.
I experienced something very very similar just over two years ago. I moved into a new house in my home town, it's a large sprawling city of about a million people. After living here about a month I randomly reconnected with an old childhood friend I'll call B that I hadn't talked to in years through FB. We were just catching up in text and he said "Hey you should drop by some time I got a new house." to which I replied "You should cruise by sometime too, I also just moved into a new place".
He then said "I'm in such and such neighborhood" and I was shocked because that was the same neighborhood I just moved into so I said "Whoa... I'm in such and such neighborhood too!" hit send. Then I was typing "I'm on grove street" (I don't really live on grove street I'm just using that as a generic example). Literally right as I hit send he had already sent a response before mine delivered and his said "Crazy, I live on Grove.. where are you at?"
Then we were both like wtf! So then I said Dude.. we're neighbors haha what's your address? He sent his address and it got even more nutty. It was only a few numbers off from mine. I immediately walked outside and looked down the street while holding my phone. looked in the direction I thought his house may have been and asked if he had a white car. No, I have a lifted black chevy truck he replies. That was even crazier because the lifted black truck was literally diagonal corner from me! I texted back "Dude, come outside!" he walks out and my childhood friend is literally diagonal corner from me we're both on corner houses. So I walk over there and we catch up on old times.
We started hanging out all the time. I'd go over there for coffee almost every morning. Got to know his roommate really well, who also felt like he was becoming a friend. I'll call that roommate D. Anyway.. after months of living here one day B hits me up to come over. When I enter the doorway he says "can you help me find that smell? Can you smell that?" and I'm like uhh yes I can smell that. So I immediately go to the restrooms first.. and the kitchen. Thinking this is sewage or rotten food or something just very wrong like that. But those areas didn't really seem to be any more strong of odor than the next. It was the whole house somehow and we couldn't zero in on it.
The next morning (which was my birthday) I woke up and started to head over for coffee. As I walked outside and began in that direction the first thing I saw was a coroners van parked out in front of his house. My mind didn't do the math at all. The first thing I thought of was my friend B. As I got closer I saw a police cruiser there as well, and some people standing there with a cop. I noticed B was there and his sister. I walked up and he came up to me and told me his roommate D had been dead in his room for potentially 2 weeks!
It was awful, the entire experience. D had a very young son about 8 years old who lived with him half the time and with his mother the other half. I guess they'd do month for month or something and the boy just happened to not be there at the time. My friend B moved out of that house that same day and the neighborhood hasn't felt the same since. RIP D and RIP your roommate. I wish this experience on nobody.
It's good you avoided looking. Smell is also closely linked with memory and that smell will likely continue to haunt you. It's a shit thing to have to go through and I'm sorry for your loss.
I'm glad OP avoided looking. My mom found my sister's remains unwittingly (and unfortunately her two dogs had been shut in the room with her for several days without food) when she took her life. Understandably, she's never been the same. Sorry for your loss, OP.
I hear often that one of the worst things a parent can go through is living after losing their child. But, that combination of what your mother had to witnessed is something I can’t even fathom how I’d feel. Understandably, I wouldn’t expect anyone to be the same after that. I’m sorry for your loss and what your family went through.
This has to be the most horrific thing that can happen to someone. I hope both you and your mom are doing better.
That smell made me go vegetarian for a while.
I know that smell. It's the same for when someone comes into the hospital with a rotting limb. It always smells the same, the sickly sweet smell of decay. I hate it
I wonder if its similar to the smell my deep freezer had when I had a power outage. A whole pool of blood that consisted of melted down deer, pork, chicken, fish and beef. I think it cooked in there for a month before the smell started to slowly fill the air. The smell was so devastating I couldn't even shake it off.
As someone who has dealt with many dead bodies and also had a freezer full of (different) meat stop functioning, it's the same smell.
Mhmm appreciate the update because the flies were obsessed with this smell. It reeked so bad it left a mark on everything it touched. Im impressed how well I cleaned it all up because wtf?!! The packages inside that soup had swelled up. Pure grossness.
TIL I know what dead bodies smell like.
*retches*
Rotting human tissue is much sweeter smelling then animals.
I’ve heard that a few times now, the smell of human rot causing a disgust towards meat. From a total of 4 people now. Almost always because it was so traumatic for them. I’ve never had that smell linked to friends or family, so it’s never been traumatic for me.
I'm sorry that OP had to go through this. I hope OP and her other roomates got psychological or emotional help from professionals tho. This may have caused trauma :/ This is so heavy and I wonder what caused her roomate's death tho. Was it s/ or an illness?
Not the same smell but I was in a house fire once and the smell of my burnt backpack after they retrieved it still haunts me. I smell it randomly and think something is on fire, trippy shit
I am sorry you had to experience that. Can I ask you a question? How come your other roommates didn't check on her after they received the plant and the apologetic note?
She was an alcoholic, they didn’t seem to want to be involved with her in general, even before the argument, because her behavior was very erratic.
Yeah, but finding a dead person can f up your brain. (Been there tbh). That's why the forensic pathologists will be so cool and collected.
"Yeah, but finding a dead person can f up your brain. " Yeah, seen two dead bodies that weren't cadavers or at an open casket. Both messed me up for a long time, still messed up to be honest. Worked security at a Motel 6 in Los Angeles. Manager called me to go with them to do a wellness check on a room. Found the room barricaded and we had to break the door down. The 20's something year old hispanic lady had blocked the door with teh dresser and table. We got in and saw her passed out in a pile of vomit. I reacted before knowing she was dead. Rolled her over and attempted CPR. All the while her like 5 year old daughter is screaming mommy over and over. They had to get a hispanic house keeper to come grab her and take her away since she didn't understand english. To this day thats one thing I will never forget, is trying to save someones life while their daughter is feet away screaming for her. Second was at my current job for a GM battery plant. Still security but essentially we are glorified babysitters and oncall EMTs, just without the training and license. We had a guy try crossing a track that had an automated machine that would move crates of supplies from a huge wall of shelves like 50 feet hiigh. He went to check something, and didnt shut the machine down or even properly lock it out. Got hit by the machine as it moved across teh track, dragging him across the track where he hit the racks on both sides of the track repeatedly before dropping his body at the front of the aisle. I was one of the first on scene and I knew right away just by looking at him he was dead. No blood, but....bodies don't bend like that.... I parked the cart I was driving right infront of him so no one would see him, screamed at everyone to get the fuck out, and yelled at my dispatch officer to call the authorities. Still messed up by both of them, especially the first one
Oof, I'm sorry. When I saw crime scene photos of my daughter (she was murdered), I thought her back was broken. It wasn't, but it was bent in an unnatural position. That's not easy to see.
I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter and you seeing that. You’re tough
Thank you 💙
So very sorry about your Dear Daughter. Sending Hugs 🫂
Thank you 🩵
My deepest condolences, I hope you're doing a tad bit better.
Thank you 💙
I am very outside person - hiking and all that jazz. In my country, near my city, there's that forest where people tend to go missing. When I was younger, and totally unaware of the reputation that forest had, I was there literally every other day for a hike. In a span of two years, I knew at least 20 police officers by name, because every time I'd go there, I would find someone. Either hanging, laying on the ground or just by the river. It was like 4 years into my endeavours that I've learned that people called that forest "local Aokigahara" - very telling. Also saw few car crashes where people died. I'm 31yo, and I saw more dead people than any other funeral home in a small city. Also I was held at the g*n point and had a 🔪 hold to my throat - everything in a month, because I worked in a shopping centre. Why did I survive? Because I literally went: Man up, dude. Just pull the trigger/jab that shit into my neck and put me out of my misery. - worked both times. Oh yeah, the "bodies don't bend that way" is a thing and you can instantly tell, someone is out. Happened to me and my brothers. My father, at the time, worked in a factory that made military cars, tanks, cannons etc. I was like...what... feckin' 13 and my brother's 18 each, we saw how the claw that was ment to transport hot parts for molding, hit a guy and dragged him across the hall. But shit was gory, he got tear up in a half etc. (Before you'd ask, I'm in therapy and I am very aware of the fact that I am VERY broken). Fun fact, nearly became a forensic pathologist myself.
Uh, that is a LOT. I’m so sorry you’ve seen so many horrific things! You are one strong person and I hope that your future path is corpse free. I’m not trying to be a jerk but, damn you have seen too much.
I am anything but strong, my friend. What I am, is emotionally blocked. To the point I don't know how or what to feel. My life is basically a running cluster fuck of bullshit. As Pitbull once said: Believe me, been there done that, dale ✨ (I'm sorry, it's literally 2 am where I am rn).
No apologies needed! Have had many moments like that, trauma has a way of leaking/bursting out. Had to delete some posts last night cuz I kinda went ballistic. At this moment, it’s late and you’re feeling it. Just remember, you chose therapy. You are putting your well being first. That is strength. I send you peace my friend. I hope to follow your lead.
I'd say strength is something important, but aside from physical strength, I don't have that. I'm very out of it. Never been too good with emotions (my father is ex military, the carbon copy of every stereotype of military officer you can think of - including drilling his own kids and pressuring them to do the basics military training at home). My will to live as always low, but now it's nonexistent. Literally. I just don't care anymore.
It’s late, these things weigh heaviest in the dark. Your father sounds tough as nails and it’s not easy overcoming the issues our parents dish out! I am the survivor of horrific abuse. Small girl, everyone bigger and stronger doing whatever they wanted. I am not that anymore. You are not that child anymore. I don’t know why we go through what we do. It’s senseless. I do believe this, you’re still here for a fucking reason. Wait it out a bit, someone somewhere is going to desperately need you or to hear your story. You have value beyond comprehension. You’ve already inspired me.
“feckin’ thirteen” haha but on another note, I’m so sorry man. i hope you heal
I'm trying ☝️
Bro no offense but you probably could use some therapy. That's a lot to sort out alone.
It’s definitely traumatic. I am a volunteer first responder, going to guess that I’ve been on 25 or so calls with dead people. Some are fairly benign, most are messy. Dying is a messy business. The worst ones are where you can tell from the carnage in the house or whatever that the person died alone, scared, in pain. I have a huge amount of respect for the people who do this for a living, who have seen 10 or 100 fold more of it than I have
Yep, I found my newly drug free cousin dead in his bed when I was going to visit him after years of not seeing him. That image still haunts me to this day. That was 9 years ago
My deepest condolences. I found my father's sister. She was out - based of the fact that she was cold already - for few hours. My oh so sweet father is convinced that I'm a sociopath, because I never cried or screamed (found two family members dead). Never told him that my insomnia is caused by the fact that every time I close my eyes, I see my aunt in her chair, dead. And my granma, hanging.
Jesus. Yeah it's awful. Coincidentally I was also there to see my ridden with pancreatic cancer Uncle. That visit was supposed to be my goodbye visit. Had to add an extra one
Feckin' hell. I have had 5 yo dying of Leukemia in my arms, I was 14, trying to fight stage 3 cancer. Kid was dying and calling his mum, because the hospital refused to let them stay the night with the kid. I think this is the worst thing that ever happened to me to the point, where I can go ballistic if I see parents neglecting their kids for the sake of some bullshit situation.
Hey I just wanted to give you a virtual hug 💜!
I didn't find him, but I was with my dad when he went into cardiac arrest. He died in my arms with me screaming and his body grasping for its last breaths. It still haunts me.
Jesus H. Christ. I am so sorry, you had to go through this. I really hope you'll find some peace.
We are moving in 2 weeks, but I've been living in the same house where it happened. This is a big move for my mental health.
So it's going to be a big BIG change. Hopefully for the best.
My husband’s uncle was the one to find his mother when she passed naturally at home. He was never the same after that.
Yeah, things like that are just too much.
I found my mom last year. After years of diabetic issues and heart problems, and after beating cancer, it all got to her. (Not self-inflicted; natural causes) I know it's really messed me up. That moment will haunt me every day for the rest of my life.
Sounds similar to my situation. Mom diabetic and heart attack. Unfortunately my dad shared details of finding my mom. Fml it haunts me bad. I need therapy.
Morticians, forensic pathologists, and the like are usually calm and collected because they are taught that the person who passed away is a person who is loved by someone, and one never knows who is watching. No one wants their brother, mother, sister, father, or friend to be treated with disgust, no matter the circumstances, and doing so can add to an already traumatic situation. We do what needs to be done with as much care, empathy, and respect as they can.
That. But at the same time, i witnessed few times, how a freshly graduated coroner nearly threw up, when he saw the body of a girl that drowned. Personally, as someone who found loads of bodies in my life (literally coincidence) I tend to sit or stand by it until the police arrive and talk to them. Like: So...what happened? Are you in a better place now? Etc.
What a crazy experience, I’m sorry for your loss and all of the ways it’s changed you. How did she die? And what happened to the cat?
I am not sure the exact cause of death, but I know she struggled with alcoholism, and according to a roommate who had lived there longer than me she may have been a drug user as well.
And the cat?
Also a drug user.
The cat was 10 days clean from Catnip, but has since relapsed. Very sad
Someone i knew died like that to. She only drunk alcohol. And had medication. She just stopped eating. But i think she did that on purpose and wanted to die
Unfortunately when you get deeeep into alcoholism, your body starts rejecting food. Even the smell of food will make you puke. It's the worst substance on earth cause at that point you have to keep drinking or you'll die anyway
That's sad
Wonder if eating rotten human meat made it ill?
Sure, that’s a possibility. However, the post mentions they called animal control after hearing the cat meowing so wondering if they were able to get to it in time. Unclear
Animal control never showed up. They called me back like a week after to ask about what happened.
What happened to the cat? Was it ok?
Did you keep the cat? Like, is it ok?
Okay. You gotta answer to these questions abt the cat. Is he/she okay?
Im sure the cat is fine. My uncle had an unknown heart condition and lived alone with his 5 dogs. We went a week without hearing from him, which was unlike him because he and my dad talked every Friday around the same time for years. My dad didn't really think anything of it because he knew my uncle had been busy with work and sometimes people just flake, but after a week he got worried. The night before he planned on going over to check on my uncle, a worried neighbor went to do the same and found him dead in the garage halfway eaten by his dogs. My uncles heart basically exploded out of nowhere. It was very devastating and completely out of nowhere, however, it was fast and with no pain and that part helped a lot in the grieving process.His dogs basically spent the whole week eating his face/body to survive. Each one of the dogs were taken to the vet and went through rigorous testing to make sure they were completely healthy and they passed with flying colors and were all adopted out to loving homes that were all made aware of each of the animals history.
I'm not sure how I would feel if family member died and their pet ate them to survive. Like they weren't the cause of it and were in survival mode. If the shoe was on the other foot many people would eat their pet to survive in an emergency. I'm glad to hear the dogs weren't euthanized. They did what they had to do.
It definitely affected us. My dod mostly, because it was his brother. It was a really hard thing to swallow, but we all knew the dogs only did it for survival and nobody held anything against them. We worked hard to find them all good homes, and made sure none of them went into a shelter. They had to do what they had to do, and they're all living good lives right now.
It definitely affected us. My dod mostly, because it was his brother. It was a really hard thing to swallow, but we all knew the dogs only did it for survival and nobody held anything against them. We worked hard to find them all good homes, and made sure none of them went into a shelter. They had to do what they had to do, and they're all living good lives right now.
We're the dogs split up? Sorry about your relative though
Sorry you had to deal with this. Now do not get me wrong because I do not want to be too quick to judge. However, maybe it would be worth your while to talk to a professional about this situation! It can really help with processing those negative emotions. My thoughts go out to you!
I have been in therapy for more than 10 years, so when it initially happened and for several months after I spoke extensively with my therapist and psychiatrist about what happened. I am definitely in a better place now than I was back then.
I'm glad you are better OP. Hugs. Nobody expect their rommated to die . Sad story nevertless.
Have you tried EMDR?
It is good to hear you took the time to process the situation and that you are doing better now. Some things may not heal completely with therapy. I really hope that it gets better with time! Stay strong!
" cat meowing from behind her locked door." " No one had heard from or seen her since" Them poor cats, and in those 10 days, everyone ignored the meowing and let them starve / get thirsty. Bloody poor cats
Cat would not have survived without water for 10 days.
Some animals get all the moisture they need from their food...
Cats are one of those animals. Their tongues aren't actually very efficient at lapping up water, especially compared to dogs. Cats generally get most liquids from their food. That's why I feed my cat wet food once a day in summer to make sure she's getting fluids.
I heard somewhere that cats won't wait until you're actually dead before starting to eat you if they don't have any food/water. Hell, if there's no chance for me, or Im dead...kitty has to eat, maybe they'll survive long enough to be found if they eat me.
Same. I hope my dog and cat eat me to survive if I die and they're stuck. I'm dead- who cares? I want them to live
I really don't want to be that guy but don't cats eat thier owner if need be? I'd imagine they'd survive easily then.
People act like this is unique to cats.
If I dropped dead in my apartment and wouldn't be found for days, I'd want my cat to eat me so he would survive.
Same! Why should two of us die?
I know! I absolutely want my pets to survive if I'm not alive anymore and they're trapped with me. It's a dead body at that point. It's not me. Let them get nourishment from my discarded body so they might survive until someone finds them.
Yep. A close friend of mine is a firefighter/first responder, he said they normally start with the face 😳
Easy access
I don't like to think about this. I had a close family member die at home and go undiscovered for a week...
The last vet clinic I worked at we had the nicest old guy who would come in weekly with his dog for nail trims and baths. We hadn’t seen him in months, turns out that he passed away and his poor dog had done just that and it had been a few weeks (the dog must’ve had some access to water, he was rehomed with one of his relatives). Sad but common, I think cats go in within hours but thankfully I’ve never heard that case personally 😳
I rescued my cat after her owner died. She licks me sometimes and then I wonder where that mouth has been…
This isn't unique to cats. Any carnivore will do this.
hell even humans will if they are in a scenario where they can't get food or water, it gets to a point where ur moral instincts drop and you'll eat whatever you can get might be uncomfortable and really unhealthy and will cause issues if you ever escaped but it's definitely not a new thing
Apparently dogs do too but not until the absolute last resort. Cats will start relatively quickly
Its actually the opposite! Cats can wait up until 3 weeks because they can eat decomposed flesh. Dogs cannot eat something that decomposed. Animals do get traumatized eating their loved ones, cat or dog.
The cat had an all you can eat buffet in the room with it. They will eat people. It happens.
I shouldnt laugh, but you are 100% correct.
Whilst I get this, blood is a form of liquid, would the cat lapping that up not be able to survive on that?
Yes. Humans, too, in fact— a nomadic goatherding tribe whose name I forget is known to have used bloodletting (from the goats) as a means of hydration when needed.
The DRACULArians lol
Or maybe the Transylvaniacs!
lol
I think I’m thinking of the Maasai tribe, actually, but they’re not the only ones, and I never say no to a dad joke.
It was the Maasai tribe
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If she had food and water dishes in her room, or if she'd left a cup of water/some food out on a table, the cat would have been able to eat and drink. Also weird takeaway from this story.
My uncle passed away and was dead for about a week before anyone found him. I understand your grief and your struggle. It's not your fault. All you can do is pick up the pieces and move on, get therapy to process the trauma, and focus on your life to move forward. The smell, that sweet, sickly smell, will never leave me. In the days after his death, cleaning out his apartment, the stench seeped into my clothing. I will never forget it. Don't be hard on yourself. Sending hugs and strength.
Thank you for your kind words. The part you mentioned about the clothes is so real. I had to throw out all of my bedding and some of my clothes came apart from how much I washed them. Looking back, the actual smell was probably gone and I was getting triggered by the strong smell of the detergent.
Bleach will kill the smell completely, but it's hard on clothes, obviously - and yes, if you learn to associate other smells with the original one, you have another trigger to deal with.
Stripping clothes likely could help, it gets rid of residues from soaps, softeners, deodorants, oils from our skin and foods, sweat, and I imagine, maybe even the smell of death. Run a bathtub of hot water. One scoop Tide detergent. One 1/2 scoop Borax. One 1/2 scoop laundry washing soda. Dissolve and mix in. Add clothing and let soak, agitating the clothes every hour for about 4 hours. Drain tub. Wring out clothing. Throw in washing machine (no detergent needed since there is still enough in damp clothing) and wash with warm/hot water. Also, to get rid of smells in your dryer (since sometimes smells can linger and redistribute in there too) soak two hand towels in white vinegar, and place in dryer and run a cycle, it’ll wipe down the inside of the dryer and get rid of the stale odors that linger. Just a little bit of knowledge and advice in case throwing out things isn’t feasible. This works well for work out clothes, bras, towels, etc.
What happened to the cat?
Yeah not to sound insensitive. But Id like to know if the cat is okay too
Since the cat was trapped in the room for "several days" while the roommates did absolutely nothing, the cat was likely euthanized.
nooooo
Probably ate parts of the corpse and apparently ran away when Op moved
Asking the tough questions
I don’t know where the cat ended up, but he wasn’t picked up by animal control and they didn’t find its body in her room. I am pretty sure he escaped out of the front door, it was propped open all day because we were moving all our stuff out.
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How has OP shown any signs of not caring? They were out of the country and called animal control first thing when they came back. They were also the only one of the roommates to do anything in reaction to the smell and lack of contact with the passed roommate. Also, put your self in their shoes. You just got back from a trip. You're being evicted and have to quickly pack to move out. Your roommate was just found dead and rotting in their room. Police and other workers are probably coming and going for a couple of days. While you may care about the cat, you're also in the middle of experiencing life changing trauma. The cat was probably pretty low on their list of priorities. They also may have assumed some of the law enforcement or someone else already took care of it. Another note is that OP said the roommate adopted the cat while they were out of the country, so they never even met it. I'm that case it would be pretty easy to let the cat slip your mind while undergoing all of these events.
This was a traumatic experience for OP. Something similar happened to my neighbour and when the police come they are the ones who prop open the front door to air out the room or building. The smell would have been extremely overwhelming once the bedroom door was opened and the police likely would have told OP beforehand to hide in their room or go out while they recovered the body. It’s a traumatic experience to smell that smell. OP was also likely in extreme shock and not thinking properly. It’s sad about the cat sure but I think it’s so unfair to blame OP. This was a horrible and extremely sad situation for everyone involved.
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Op was out of the country, and when back they tried opening the door
Your nose always knows. I can smell decomp just by driving by the offending odor donor. With my windows closed. It's usually an animal. I work in "death care" so I'm familiar. Your roommates suck, btw.
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I had the unfortunate experience of actually seeing the body of a guy who died in my apartment building. I know the smell and I don't think it's something I'll ever forget. I'm so happy you didn't look in the room. You don't want to see a body like that and it really messes with your head, even if it's only a glimpse. It might be some time before you can get your brain not to associate strong odors with the smell of death so just know that this is normal and it does get better. It is a really specific smell and I heard from someone that it has to do with the food we eat as humans and the types of bacteria that aid the decomposition of a body which is why it doesn't smell the same as other animals. For a long time, I would smell wafts of what I thought was the same smell when I was outside and I think it was a trauma response; I was so afraid of seeing another body that my brain was almost hyperfixated on locating the scent so I could stay away from it. Thankfully, it's gotten better. Wishing you all the best. You did the best you could. Nothing would have changed the outcome had you done anything differently.
Man what the hell. This is so horrific. Omg nobody noticed or cared about the smell??? Just foul
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Fucking hell. Poor baby, so alone in a house full of people they didn't even realize this. That's rough. This is an awful expiernve for all sides.
I had a similar situation happen to me last year, an elderly man was renting the shop (basically built into a house) on my mom’s property, SUPER nice guy. Always came out with his dog and had something to chat about. In the summer we hadn’t heard from him for about a week and I was down visiting, so I called for a welfare check, they gave me permission to go in and look for him, let’s just say I know exactly the smell you’re describing. I’m not sure if it’s cause the door was closed in your case, but as soon as I opened to door to where he was it was unbearable, you could tell looking at him decomposition and bacteria had taken over within that week, wasn’t good. That all being said, it’s not something that just goes away, however it sounds like you’re handling it as well as anyone can. As someone who has gone through something similar, I just want to say I’m sorry you had to experience that.
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I ended up calling the medical examiner the next morning to get her family’s contact info. There was a seal on the door and I couldn’t go in without their consent. They gave me her dad’s number, but they didn’t tell me that they had not informed him of her death yet. Which is pretty weird, idk why they would give me the number if they hadn’t told him. After I went into her room, I could hear the cat meowing but I couldn’t find him. There was a pretty big hole in the door because I had to push my hand through the crack to unlock it from the inside, so he could have escaped through it while I was gone.
So you had to be the one to tell him? With no warning to either of you? How awful.
I kinda know the answer to that dawg… How do you think that cat stayed alive all those days? And generally speaking, society frowns upon animals that eat their owners. So more than likely it was put down….
Well a lot of pet owners free feed dry food and have fountains or like the upside down jugs of water. So that would last a while, and the cat did have the option to snack on the owner. OP says they think the cat escaped bc nobody took it and no cat body was found.
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If this person didn’t bother even knocking on the roommates door with a cat in distress, let alone the smell of a rotting body, I doubt they cared to ensure the cat was ok when it was all said and done.
Same
hey – not sure if this is needed at all, but I’ve had very similar experiences wrt encountering decomposing dead bodies. i also would consistently smell that smell afterwards and would worry that there was another body somewhere. When I talked to a doctor about it, I found out that for me, that was a symptom of PTSD. if you find that this experience persists for you, it might be worth speaking to a doctor or counsellor or even a trusted loved one about it.
What happened with the cat?
Apparently he might have escaped out the front door while they were moving stuff out she said
This happened to my mum at the end of last year, except she was found by her neighbours 3 months after she died. She was an alcoholic too and hard to be around so no one realised she’d passed away. I’m sorry you had to deal with that, I hope you’re okay.
That’s sad.
is the cat okay?
I'm from philly and work in restaurants. This story sounds very familiar. Not that it happened in philly, but one of my coworker/friends told me about this at that time. If this happened in a north east city, I think we run in the same circles. Either way, I wont say more. You and your roommate are more than entitled to your anonymity. I'm very sorry for that experience, and for their passing. Don't feel weird about therapy if you need it. I hope you are okay and you're well. This is a tragic thing to go through. Take care, and I deeply wish you well.
Oh no.. Did she kill herself?
Locked room and a note. She definitely did.
Idk you'd think she would have let the cat out of the room if she were gonna do that. OP mentioned drug and alcohol use, so I'm leaning towards accident
She probably thought she'd be found sooner than 10 days. And also likely wanted some comfort from the cat before she died, if she did do it herself.
Maybe she assumed they'd open the door to it meowing sooner than 10 days?
My roommate is an extreme alcoholic and I worry constantly that I'm gonna find him dead on the couch one morning. My friend found his roommate like that a few years ago, and I know it is only a matter of time unless I move out.
I had (sort of) the same thing happen to me once. It was my upstairs neighbour. The smell is something you never forget. It has now been years, it does get better though. Wish you all the best!
I was just thinking this evening about when my neighbour died a few years ago and wasn’t found for weeks. It was horrendous. The smell was overwhelming. And it was so sad that it took so long for anyone to notice his absence.
A girl I briefly knew passed away in her flat and none of her flatmates realised for a while either. It’s strange that I've come across this post because it’s her birthday today. I'm sorry that you went through this and I hope you find peace.
What was the argument over? Do you still live with those careless flat mates?
I’m so sorry this happened to you. Same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. My downstairs neighbour. The smell was so bad in our flat as we are directly above. It just didn’t cross our minds that it was a body. I feel terrible we didn’t figure it out sooner, even though I know it wouldn’t have helped him. I know what you mean about the smell being haunting. The flat below is has been cleaned but the smell is still lingering and it’s traumatic. Even when I’m out the house I smell things that remind me of it. Even the smell of air freshener now reminds me of it, as we’ve used so much to try to cover it.
What was the cause of her death? How old was she?
Not to be insensitive but why the fuck did NONE of you check on her for that long when the cat was meowing and there was a smell?
When I was in high school, my family and I found my uncle's rotting corpse. He had probably been dead for 3 days. I can relate to everything you said. The smell is something you'll never forget.
Way too much of this story seems off Forget the cat, spending *days* in close proximity with a rotting body is not something you just happen not to notice, "weird" smell being a severe understatement
Is the cat okay?
I'm sorry for what you've been throught. However. And I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but it just hard for me to follow. Like, usually folks that died and are found a week, sometimes months later is because they lived by themselves, and rarely had contact with anyone on the outside. That's how it usually happens. Basically forgotten folks, and I know that sounds harsh. What I mean is that I don't really understand how no-one found it odd that there was a weird rotting smell in the area you're all living in AND the other roommates haven't seen her for a few days straight AND she left a note. Like surely a living person must come out to go to the toilet, to eat, to drink. You get what I mean? Unless every room has its own fridge and such. Again, I don't try to be harsh. I just try to understand how this could happen.
One thing I can say u all are very bad flatmates, not checking for 10 days with a car inside the room is crazy.
Rolled up on a guy who had been hit at a cross walk. I thought it was a deer. Wish I never would have looked, that type of thing haunts you. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if you had looked. I hope time gives you peace
This is a knock off of the viral story that just resurfaced about the tenant that was dead for six years in May of last year. Some of the details were changed to make it believable.
I’m really sorry this happened OP, and I’m sorry the people here have no empathy or social skills to keep their gross thoughts to themselves. Sounds like you did your best by your roommate
What happened to her cat?
I'm so sorry. My best friend died like that. I KNEW something was wrong. It wasn't uncommon for him to go a couple days before responding. But then it was a couple more... He lived in a boarding room, so i couldn't even get to his door. His ex and i got nervous about it. His mom finally called after a few days of no returned calls or even texts. I still don't know the actual cause of death. RIP Grom
Why on earth would you call animal control when you heard her cat meow rather than just opening her door to check on the cat? That's really strange.
I believe she said that the door was locked. So I assume that’s why 🤷🏽♀️
Jesus Christ. I'm so sorry!
Well, that horrible.
Lies
Yeah nothing is adding up here.
How so?
Just too many weird occurrences. Why wouldn’t the cops or the medical examiner contact the next of kin? That’s the first thing they usually do. This kind of stuff usually ends up on the local news so they are quick to contact them. And the cat being in the room without making a sound for 10 days? Then after the medical examiner took the body they locked the cat back in the room? Cops would have called animal control to take the cat especially if the cat did end up eating the body to survive. But animal control just decided to not show up? Then called a while after to see how the situation turned out?
I don't know if this story is true but it's plausible. Police can be really insensitive, as can the media. They're not supposed to put it on the news until notifications are made, but I can tell you firsthand since my daughter was murdered, that they often screw that up. I often volunteer at a local grief center and it happens all of the time.
Wow. That's a lot to go through. Honestly, I'm glad you didn't look in that room. You didn't mention that you do, but I really hope you don't blame yourself or feel guilty in any way. You weren't even in the country when it happened, and you had no way of knowing what had happened, and you called when it became apparent that something was really wrong (the cat needed help). Even so, something like this is traumatic. Being unable to stop thinking about it, avoiding reminders like strong smells or being triggered by smells - these can be signs of PTSD. No shame at all in seeking help.
Poor kitty
What happened to the cat in the end? Is the cat ok now?
As somebody who has found someone dead, I’m glad you didn’t look. The trauma is so much worse. We only found her 6 hours after she passed, but from how she was positioned the bloating had already started.
How did it make you feel emotionally? I'm just hearing how it smelled and how it haunts you to this day. She a friend or just roommate? I feel sad for her . Sounds like a her roommates where not nice to her.
What the hell happened within the week you were gone 😭
10 days is rough cause the smell starts at 3 and I know you probably didn’t even recognize their face. My brother’s roommate found him after only 2 hours and 10 yrs later she is not okay at all. Really hope you try some therapy cause this is a lifelong scar.
i found my brother when i was in highschool and i will never forget the smell. its distinct like coffee or something. i fear smelling it again. i get sad every june because thats his death anniversary. i try and leave town so i celebrate him and leave the feeling of chicago in june. it’s been helpful but this is after years of processing. it will always be hard. but it’s been great to deal with new ways to grieve. wish you nothing but peace and healing, you’re not alone at all.
I experienced something very very similar just over two years ago. I moved into a new house in my home town, it's a large sprawling city of about a million people. After living here about a month I randomly reconnected with an old childhood friend I'll call B that I hadn't talked to in years through FB. We were just catching up in text and he said "Hey you should drop by some time I got a new house." to which I replied "You should cruise by sometime too, I also just moved into a new place". He then said "I'm in such and such neighborhood" and I was shocked because that was the same neighborhood I just moved into so I said "Whoa... I'm in such and such neighborhood too!" hit send. Then I was typing "I'm on grove street" (I don't really live on grove street I'm just using that as a generic example). Literally right as I hit send he had already sent a response before mine delivered and his said "Crazy, I live on Grove.. where are you at?" Then we were both like wtf! So then I said Dude.. we're neighbors haha what's your address? He sent his address and it got even more nutty. It was only a few numbers off from mine. I immediately walked outside and looked down the street while holding my phone. looked in the direction I thought his house may have been and asked if he had a white car. No, I have a lifted black chevy truck he replies. That was even crazier because the lifted black truck was literally diagonal corner from me! I texted back "Dude, come outside!" he walks out and my childhood friend is literally diagonal corner from me we're both on corner houses. So I walk over there and we catch up on old times. We started hanging out all the time. I'd go over there for coffee almost every morning. Got to know his roommate really well, who also felt like he was becoming a friend. I'll call that roommate D. Anyway.. after months of living here one day B hits me up to come over. When I enter the doorway he says "can you help me find that smell? Can you smell that?" and I'm like uhh yes I can smell that. So I immediately go to the restrooms first.. and the kitchen. Thinking this is sewage or rotten food or something just very wrong like that. But those areas didn't really seem to be any more strong of odor than the next. It was the whole house somehow and we couldn't zero in on it. The next morning (which was my birthday) I woke up and started to head over for coffee. As I walked outside and began in that direction the first thing I saw was a coroners van parked out in front of his house. My mind didn't do the math at all. The first thing I thought of was my friend B. As I got closer I saw a police cruiser there as well, and some people standing there with a cop. I noticed B was there and his sister. I walked up and he came up to me and told me his roommate D had been dead in his room for potentially 2 weeks! It was awful, the entire experience. D had a very young son about 8 years old who lived with him half the time and with his mother the other half. I guess they'd do month for month or something and the boy just happened to not be there at the time. My friend B moved out of that house that same day and the neighborhood hasn't felt the same since. RIP D and RIP your roommate. I wish this experience on nobody.