Are you worried about receiving ashes (as in wood ashes) instead of your loved one’s cremains? Or, are you fighting for a body to be released from a funeral home? You wouldn’t be alone in both cases, as funeral homes in this country throughout July played some morbid and damaging games with clients. In other cases, some funeral directors and homes were sentenced to pay for damages this month for their parts in previous schemes.
Filed under: Cremation, Death & Dying, Death Investigation, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Law, Other Legal Matters on July 31st, 2009 | No Comments »
Did your Uncle Big Bucks die and leave you his house, his savings and an investment portfolio? While many people would be happy to claim a bequest such as this, you may not want his financial burden. Taxes or other reasons may give you pause in accepting Uncle Big Buck’s legacy.
Filed under: Other Legal Matters, Wills & Estate Planning on July 30th, 2009 | No Comments »
How do you react to death? Do you ignore it, become fearful or nauseated? Some people react to death with humor, hence television series such as Six Feet Under, which opened each week’s episode with a new way to die. Now, you can watch 1,000 Ways to Die from Spike TV, and if you missed any episodes on television, you can watch it online.
Filed under: Causes of Death, Death & Dying, Death Investigation on July 29th, 2009 | No Comments »
Jim King, a popular Florida Republican lawmaker and former Florida Senate President, died this past Sunday after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He will be cremated and interred at the year-old King Life Sciences Building on the Florida State University campus. FSU dedicated that building to King last year in recognition for his help in securing state funding for biomedical research.
Filed under: Alternatives, Cremation, Death Care News, Funeral Arrangements, Wills & Estate Planning on July 28th, 2009 | No Comments »
If you’ve ever visited a New Orleans cemetery, you’ve probably seen a crypt, or an above-ground tomb. False crypts, also known as chest tombs, box tombs, stonebox graves or crypts, look like an above-ground tomb, but the body is buried underground. The crypt itself usually contains an enclosed base made of stone, brick or concrete, and a top rests on that base. The top may be inscribed with information about the deceased.
Filed under: About Tombstones, Cemeteries, Graveyard Etiquette on July 27th, 2009 | No Comments »
Are you working on an estate plan or a will? You might have wondered about using a trust, but the types of trusts may seem confusing. Additionally, a trust involves at least three people – the grantor (the trust creator who also is known as the settlor or donor), the trustee (the person who holds and manages the property for the benefit of the grantor and others) and the beneficiary or beneficiaries, depending upon the type of trust you use.
Filed under: Estate Planning, Wills & Estate Planning on July 26th, 2009 | No Comments »
Last Tuesday, a 14-year-old Minnesota girl became the second person in that state to die after being struck by lightning. Almost every year across the United States, more people are killed by lightning than by tornadoes or hurricanes. Still, many people do not take the precautions necessary to avoid dying during a major storm.
Filed under: Causes of Death, Death & Dying, Death Care News on July 26th, 2009 | No Comments »
A “body farm” is a research facility where human decomposition after death is studied in a variety of settings to gain a better understanding of this process within the field of forensic anthropology and related disciplines. The information gleaned from these facilities is widely used by law enforcement, medical examiners and crime scene investigators. Although the first body farm was created almost thirty years ago, today three such facilities operate in the U.S.
Filed under: Causes of Death, Death & Dying, Death Investigation on July 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Dissection of a corpse during an autopsy follows the external examination when the corpse still contains tissues and organs that can be examined. The steps that a medical examiner may take in the internal examination include the following:
Filed under: Causes of Death, Death & Dying, Death Investigation on July 25th, 2009 | No Comments »
In a previous article, we wrote that the objective behind an autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy, or obduction, is to examine a corpse to determine a cause of death or to evaluate any disease or injury that was present at the time of death. To make that evaluation, several activities are conducted once the body arrives at the morgue and placed onto an autopsy table.
Filed under: Causes of Death, Death & Dying, Death Investigation on July 24th, 2009 | 1 Comment »