Finding a body in the canal

[adam1uk]

We headed out of Brinklow Marina for the weekend this morning, and just before Newbold Tunnel I spotted something in the water. After an incident several years ago when we ended up with a sports holdall round the prop, I always keep an eye on things floating, just in case. As we entered the tunnel, I realised that what was in the water was a man's body. I alerted my partner, who phoned the police and reported it. Officers were with us in less time than it took to moor at Newbold visitor moorings, and we were asked to hang around for a bit. They think it might be someone who was known to have been living rough in the area. The police have issued a news release here and my blog is here. All in all, quite a shocking experience.

[Guest]

Not pleasant at all..

 

It's bad enough encountering dead animals in the cut but human remains must be a whole lot worse.....

[WotEver]

That's sad, Adam. I hope your wife is coping okay with it.

 

Tony

[mrsmelly]

Not pleasant at all..

 

It's bad enough encountering dead animals in the cut but human remains must be a whole lot worse.....

 

Yeah it is !!

 

Ive pulled a couple out of the river Aire in the past one of which had turned black and green............

[Starcoaster]

Ohhh God how awful for you.

I know this is going to sound ridiculous but for a moment the other day I thought I found a body in the marina... It turned out to be an inside out rubber glove, but in the dark it looked just like a hand coming up from the depths, and I know how much of a shock that was for a second.

[Roxy]

We headed out of Brinklow Marina for the weekend this morning, and just before Newbold Tunnel I spotted something in the water. After an incident several years ago when we ended up with a sports holdall round the prop, I always keep an eye on things floating, just in case. As we entered the tunnel, I realised that what was in the water was a man's body. I alerted my partner, who phoned the police and reported it. Officers were with us in less time than it took to moor at Newbold visitor moorings, and we were asked to hang around for a bit. They think it might be someone who was known to have been living rough in the area. The police have issued a news release here and my blog is here. All in all, quite a shocking experience.

Adam, as all boaters on here, I guess this is something one or some of have to come across from time to time, it wasnt your fault you or your partner couldnt save him, though I dont know if he wanted to be saved for that matter. You did your best and thats all you both could do. Horrible way to end your life though, sometimes people just want to talk but theres no1 to talk too.

So sad....

Hope you and your wife are ok too Adam....I seriously dont know how I would react if I ever came across something like this.

God Bless xxxx

[benfordboy]

Adam

 

Thats a terrible thing for anyone to discover whether afloat or otherwise.

 

We had a friend who discovered a body under his boat as it came up off its tidal moorings , it was a very traumatic time for him so I hope you & your wife are coping with such terrible situation.

 

Several years ago when cruising thru Birmingham we were involved with the rescue of an elderly man who had fallen in the cut & was hanging onto the farside of the bridge towpath , the Paramedics were quickly at the scene but couldnt get down to him due to vegetation & the height of the bridge from the road. Luckily as we were a shallow drafted cruiser we were able to pick the medics up & reverse them to the guy where they got him aboard , we then took the boat forward to where they could get him onto dry land & into the ambulance.

 

That enough was hell of a shock as he was a white as a sheet & in heavy shock. Onlookers who arrived with the ambulance said we were the first boat they had seen for a few days - If we had been around maybe 20mins later we may have been too late.

 

Thoughts with you both

[ridders]

As everyone else has said, sorry to hear this, and i hope you and your wife are ok, at least the poor fella's family will know what happened to him now.

[Dyad]

Adam, as all boaters on here, I guess this is something one or some of have to come across from time to time, it wasnt your fault you or your partner couldnt save him, though I dont know if he wanted to be saved for that matter. You did your best and thats all you both could do. Horrible way to end your life though, sometimes people just want to talk but theres no1 to talk too.

So sad....

Hope you and your wife are ok too Adam....I seriously dont know how I would react if I ever came across something like this.

God Bless xxxx

 

Assuming he drowned.

[Alan Saunders]

Thanks for posting that! I got something around the prop. at dusk last night; moored up immediately, now I cannot face investigating it! As if plunging my arms into icy cold water was not enough.

 

Alan

[Lady Muck]

How awful AFAICR, Debbifiggy found a body in the cut not long ago.

 

My partner remembers being a child out boating with grandpa and being told to go inside the boat, asking why and being told to be quiet. Years later Grandpa said it was because there was a body in the water.

 

It's something I dread, also as a dogwalker and out and about so often, you do notice things that others do not, there was a body on the marsh last year, found by a dog walker. I do seem to be phoning the police quite often because of the things we discover (a dumped safe containing passports and birth certificates has been our most recent find).

[ditchcrawler]

Could it have been Mr Finch, right sort of age and area, living rough?

[gaggle]

Clear as a bell the same will stay in your head for a while , much the same happened to me and my crew and the only thing we all took solace in was that our misfortune in finding the body gave the mans family knowledge of his demise and allowed them to have him back so they could begin to cope with his loss.

I wish you well in coping with aftermath .

[ditchcrawler]

Its something I dread happening.

[Dekazer]

So sorry to hear that you went through that, hope you're both OK.

 

I work for a charity that searches for missing people and supports families left behind. So often finding a body is a relief - the not knowing is the worst part. I hope the person's family can find peace now..

 

If anyone here is ever concerned about someone who has gone missing you can call the charity Missing People on 0500 700 700 for 24hr advice and support.

[cotswoldsman]

Not a nice experience. I found a body on the towpath some years ago. The person had been murdered (later found out he was a drug dealer) he had had his head bashed in with a hammer. I was held up by the police for 8 hours as my reward for phoning them.

[CV32]

Sorry to hear about your discovery Adam, hope you and Adrian are ok. Touching wood, we have not yet had to deal with anything so horrific.

[blackrose]

Lots of people seem to have a dread of seeing a body in the water. Isn't this an irrational fear?

 

Death is a part of life - even accidental deaths and suicides. Does a dead human body really need to be packed in a box before it's acceptable to us?

 

I can understand feeling sad, but can't get my head around the fear. Too many horror movies perhaps?

[Guest]

Lots of people seem to have a dread of seeing a body in the water. Isn't this an irrational fear?

 

Death is a part of life - even accidental deaths and suicides. Does a dead human body really need to be packed in a box before it's acceptable to us?

 

I can understand feeling sad, but can't get my head around the fear. Too many horror movies perhaps?

 

Not irrational at all, in my profession I have seen many corpses but fortunately none that have been in the water for any length of time.

 

Having seen bloated and swollen animals in the cut, one can only imagine how awful a human corpse would look if it has been in there for any length of time.

[mrsmelly]

Not irrational at all, in my profession I have seen many corpses but fortunately none that have been in the water for any length of time.

 

Having seen bloated and swollen animals in the cut, one can only imagine how awful a human corpse would look if it has been in there for any length of time.

 

One I pulled out the river was very swollen and green. Some kids had thought it was a dead pig and had been firing air rifle pellets into it and were worried we might have thought they had shot the poor soul. Just part of everyday life then.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

Not a nice experience. I found a body on the towpath some years ago. The person had been murdered (later found out he was a drug dealer) he had had his head bashed in with a hammer. I was held up by the police for 8 hours as my reward for phoning them.

 

I am right in thinking that many years ago boatmen received compensation for loss of earnings to encourage them to report bodies?

[Dyad]

Lots of people seem to have a dread of seeing a body in the water. Isn't this an irrational fear?

 

Death is a part of life - even accidental deaths and suicides. Does a dead human body really need to be packed in a box before it's acceptable to us?

 

I can understand feeling sad, but can't get my head around the fear. Too many horror movies perhaps?

 

I'm not sure if it is irrational, I think it is an in-built repulsion. I suppose some people have stronger stomachs and can deal with it.

 

I've heard some right horror stories from railway men who have had to go out and retrieve the remains of some unfortunate soul.

I couldn't even fish out a dead cat that was floating in the river, maybe I'm just squeamish.

[Janet S]

We haven't found a body in the canal, but we've unknowingly cruised over one. A couple of years ago we went down Blackburn Locks, then turned round the following day to come back.

 

As we got back to the top lock, we found it was surrounded with Police incident tape...a body had been pulled out the previous day, after being in there for some time.

 

I remember being very careful at coming out of the lock on our way down, as there was something under the surface that I assumed was a large rubble sack or the like and I didn't want to get it on the prop...it's par for the course for Blackburn Locks, but the thought that it could have been a body made me feel distinctly queasy for some time after.

 

Janet

[bargemast]

I am right in thinking that many years ago boatmen received compensation for loss of earnings to encourage them to report bodies?

 

 

If I ever see a body in the water, I will inform the police by calling from a public phone, without telling them who I am, and thereby making sure not to leave fingerprints on the phone.

 

This only because of a very bad experience I've had several years ago in Paris, where early in the morning I discovered a body between my barge and the quay.

 

I immediately informed the police, 5 mins later 3 police cars came, and a bit later an ambulance, I was questionned for several hours, was not allowed to leave, got some other detectives in the afternoon to question me again, as if I would have thrown the body in the water just in front of my barge, and only 2 days later they allowed me to continue.

 

Peter.

[cotswoldsman]

If I ever see a body in the water, I will inform the police by calling from a public phone, without telling them who I am, and thereby making sure not to leave fingerprints on the phone.

 

This only because of a very bad experience I've had several years ago in Paris, where early in the morning I discovered a body between my barge and the quay.

 

I immediately informed the police, 5 mins later 3 police cars came, and a bit later an ambulance, I was questionned for several hours, was not allowed to leave, got some other detectives in the afternoon to question me again, as if I would have thrown the body in the water just in front of my barge, and only 2 days later they allowed me to continue.

 

Peter.

 

Same in England, seems you are asuspect until they have further information.