We Asked a Death Investigator 23 Tough Questions | Honesty Box

What really happens when a death investigator arrives at a crime scene? Barbara Butcher spent over 20 years as a death investigator for New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner, investigating more than 5,500 deaths, including 680 homicides and working on the identification of victims after 9/11. In this episode of Honesty Box, Barbara answers your questions about the realities of death investigation, from identifying murder victims and solving suspicious deaths to the smell of decomposition, the science of rigor mortis, what bodies can reveal, and the cases she'll never forget. She also explains how investigators determine whether a death was natural, accidental, suicide or homicide, shares the biggest mistakes killers make when trying to hide bodies, and reflects on the emotional toll of spending a lifetime surrounded by death. Thank you to Barbara Butcher for taking part in this episode of Honesty Box. Barbara's book 'What The Dead Know' is available here: www.barbarabutcherofficial.com Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:29 What does a death investigator actually do? 01:50 What does death smell like? 03:10 How many cases have you worked on? Were they all homicides?03:39 What are the most unusual ways to die? 04:25 What can a dead body tell you about a crime? 05:57 Who owns the crime scene: you or the police? 06:40 Do you ever talk to dead bodies? 07:20 Do cases ever affect you emotionally? 08:49 What's your most memorable investigation? 09:29 How were victims identified after 9/11? 11:15 What mistakes do killers make when burying a body? 12:46 How good does it feel to crack a case? 13:45 Have you ever gotten the cause of death wrong? 15:20 What's the most gruesome murder scene you've seen? 15:28 What's the worst way to die? 15:50 What happens to the body in the first 24 hours after death? 18:50 How can you tell if somebody's been murdered? 20:06 What happens to corpses left in water? 23:06 How does it feel to work on cases involving children? 23:59 Do you believe in the death penalty? 24:23 Why is death such a taboo subject? 24:53 What makes you good at your job? 25:29 Are you afraid of dying? 👀 Welcome to LADbible Stories - the home of raw interviews, real people, and powerful documentaries. From Minutes With and The Meet, to the brutally honest Honesty Box, we shine a light on untold human experiences. Subscribe now for content that moves you. 📲 Subscribe to LADbible Stories: @ladbiblestories 📺 Want more from the LADbible universe? LADbible Entertainment: @ladbible SPORTbible: @SPORTbible