Safe Luxury

What happens to a body after burial?

A properly embalmed body in the US, buried in a coffin that is inside a vault, 6 feet under. I'm assuming the decomposition is different from an unembalmed body open to the elements? I ask because my parents just died and it's a natural curiosity.

Public Comments

1. Unfortunately, even properly embalmed bodies deteriorate rather quickly. This is partly because of the natural bacteria, etc. left on and in the body, and which take over after death. There is also a profound effect caused by the "hermetically" sealed coffin, so they do not mummify. I don't know how to say this gently enough, it's more like the body liquifies. I just buried both my parents a year ago, and it's been on my mind, too. So I asked our mortician, and he gave me the information as delicately as possible. I'm so sorry for your loss, and I hope you know that what made your parents the people they were is not their bodies - but the spirits their bodies housed.
2. Decomposition in an embalmed body is going to occur at a much slower rate than an unembalmed body. Embalming is meant to retard decomposition, not prevent it. I have disinterred embalmed bodies that have been dead for decades, and they looked perfect, and I have also witnessed severe decomposition of an embalmed body after a few short months of burial. Some factors that affect the rate of decomp. are the casket, the vault, the climate, the type of embalming fluid that was used, and so on. A less expensive vault and/or casket will only add to the rate of decomposition. Hope this helps, take care.