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Post by Woody Williams on Oct 20, 2014 7:31:50 GMT -5
www.timeslive.co.za/world/2014/10/18/black-bear-eats-heart-attack-victim
Black bear eats heart-attack victimREUTERS | 18 October, 2014 09:13 The 65-year-old man, identified as Marion Williams, had walked from his trailer in Humboldt County to a water source about 100 yards (meters) away on Oct. 8 when he suffered cardiac arrest, said Humboldt County Deputy Coroner Roy Horton. A bear that was bedding just feet (meters) from the water source apparently saw or smelled the body and dragged Williams away, he said. "The bear saw the opportunity for a food source and took advantage of it," Horton said, adding that the bear stripped Williams out of his clothes and necklace, feeding on him for several days. "The bear did eat most of this guy," he said. "He was about 85 percent consumed." Friends became concerned about Horton on Oct. 11 and called the sheriff's department. They also visited his property and could smell the decaying body, Horton said. Horton stressed that the bear was acting naturally after finding the man's lifeless body, and said black bears are normally timid and non-aggressive. Wildlife officials in California report there has been no known fatal maulings by black bears
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2014 7:48:18 GMT -5
There is a forensic science lab in Tennessee where you can donate your body so they can leave it out, exposed to the elements and wild critters and study what happens to a body in situations like that for help in crime investigation. Nature has a way cleaning up messes.
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Post by Russ Koon on Oct 20, 2014 8:12:20 GMT -5
I suppose that would be the ultimate "green" ending. I've seen the ads for the burials in unmarked graves in the woods with no durable caskets or vaults. Said to be increasing in number.
Finally getting around to the serious stage of writing out our final plans. Feeling fine, just something that we should have taken care of long ago and are finally getting around to it.
My personal choice so far would be cremation and dropping my ashes off a bridge into White River. Had a lot of fun on that river, and I can't see a small box of ashes as being a notable source of pollution. After all, even if it became very popular, it would still be limited to one occasion per customer.
Becoming critter food sounds like another method for consideration, but I suspect the next of kin would find the more conventional method less disturbing.
Reckon it won't matter much to me, but I'd hate to think I was occupying a perfectly good piece of potential pasture or cornfield and causing the grass to be mowed in perpetuity for no productive reason. Wasteful and illogical, even if it is traditional.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2014 8:20:53 GMT -5
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Post by featherduster on Oct 20, 2014 10:16:45 GMT -5
Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you.
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Post by windingwinds on Oct 21, 2014 7:07:55 GMT -5
Alright, I had to think about this one. How can they establish a exact cause of death on a body that is 85% gone (eaten)? Yeah, it's likely, but without more body left how do they know what caused him to have that heart attack? I doubt the bear left a clean site. Fact man is dead. Fact bear ate him. Oh and fact, black bears have killed humans. Two at least in the Great Smokey mountains They have no way of establishing time of death before or after bear arrived. But also fact:domestic animals kill more people than bears. I feel that coroner was pushed into a bear friendlier statement.
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Post by Russ Koon on Oct 21, 2014 9:54:27 GMT -5
Have to agree, windingwinds. I read an interesting article on Humboldt County history and economics just now, and it would appear there was a very high probability that an elderly man living alone on a smallish property in the country in that county would be involved in the county's primary economic activity, the growing of marijuana.
Growers there, small and large, tend to keep their money in cash on hand or buried in the yard, and their product is worth stealing even if they can't be convinced to part with their money. Makes a single person alone very vulnerable, especially when they get older.
Add the likelihood of the local government not wanting the bad publicity of another drug-related killing, and you can easily imagine how the finding of heart attack, followed by "the bear ate the evidence", a sort of "the dog ate my homework" attempt to avoid a posse going after every black bear in the area.
Could have been a number of other likely scenarios, and other causes, most of which would call for further investigation and/or posses looking for the bear. Easiest and cheapest solution is to see if the current theory floats.
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Oct 21, 2014 13:58:30 GMT -5
Cardiac enzymes. When someone is or has had a heart attack the cardiac enzymes are pushed into the blood stream and travel throughout the body. Now since we do not know what 15% of the body was not consumed, (possible heart still intact?) by the bear is it possible that they were able to recover some traces of the enzymes. Also, the victim may have had a heart issue that is well documented. Just a guess. I'm no doctor but, I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night! LOL!
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Post by Russ Koon on Oct 21, 2014 17:33:20 GMT -5
But would a bear chewing on your leg cause you to have a heart attack?
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Oct 21, 2014 17:39:57 GMT -5
But would a bear chewing on your leg cause you to have a heart attack? Why, I think it definitely could!
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Post by 36fan on Oct 21, 2014 19:21:00 GMT -5
But would a bear chewing on your leg cause you to have a heart attack? Exactly what I was thinking.
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Oct 21, 2014 21:39:53 GMT -5
But would a bear chewing on your leg cause you to have a heart attack? Exactly what I was thinking. Classic "chicken or the egg?" Scenario...
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Post by josephwrealty on Oct 22, 2014 14:01:58 GMT -5
I'm with genesis on cardiac enzymes
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Post by Sasquatch on Oct 22, 2014 19:41:58 GMT -5
Wow. Tough for the loved ones. Don't know what happened, but I agree the bear will get the benefit of the doubt. He won't get blamed unless they have footage of the crime... not P.C.
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Post by nfalls116 on Oct 23, 2014 10:55:52 GMT -5
I am signed up to go to the body farm in Tennessee they will gladly accept your donations but will not fight your next of kin forit I feel that no one goes to cemeteries anymore they are a thing of the past the only expense then your family has is transporting your body to them if you are put of their radius sounds like a good way to rot.... they do all kinds of disposals then when your done theu put your bones in a drawer and if anyone wants to come see ya they can!
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Post by Boilermaker on Oct 23, 2014 13:51:01 GMT -5
Terrible news for the family. Regardless of cause of death at least they have some sort of closure.
My brother has attended the "body farm" in Tennessee several times and is invited twice a year as a guest lecturer. His graduate research at Purdue was in the field of Forensic Entomology; more specifically the correlation between size and decomposition of a wound and the age/stage of larvae & flies that are inhabiting a deceased specimen. He was able to narrow down a bullet wound or time of death to within minutes using pig carcasses and multiple different firearms to create varying scenarios.
He has some interesting stories about the his trips to Knoxville.
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