Autopsy technician finds live snake inside dead body
Photo : iStock
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- “I literally ran across the room screaming and wouldn’t return until the creature was secured,” Jessika said
- The snake is believed to have slithered into the body following the death of the person
- The body was “severely decomposed and found in a creek”
Jessika Logan, 31, who started working as an autopsy technician nine years ago, said that she loves her job because it is “always something different”. Sharing one of her wildest experiences, she recalled the time she found a live snake in a person’s thigh.
Jessika said that “saying [I] freaked out would be an understatement.”
“I literally ran across the room screaming and wouldn’t return until the creature was secured,” she told LADbible.
The snake is believed to have slithered into the body following the death of the person. The body was “severely decomposed and found in a creek.”
She explained, “It depends on the conditions the deceased are found in. If it is dry and cool there usually isn’t a lot of insect activity. But if it is hot and damp there are usually a lot of bugs. I definitely prefer decomposed cases in the winter time.”
The bugs can be found both in and outside the body, but there’s no way to get rid of them. This forces the staff “just have to work around them.”
Jessika didn’t always plan to be an autopsy technician. She dreamed of going to medical school and becoming a forensic pathologist and a medical examiner but was forced to withdraw due to a financial crunch.
While explaining her job, Jessika said, “In some offices and most hospitals this is done by removing the organs individually or organ by organ. I was trained to remove all of the organs in one connected structure… So I like to disconnect the colon, bladder, and prostate on those that were assigned male at birth or disconnect the colon, bladder, uterus and ovaries on those that were assigned female at birth. Then I like the disconnect the throat and tongue.”
Jessika said that the job of an autopsy technician is best suited to those who are “compassionate about people.”
She added that you “can’t be afraid of being challenged both physically and mentally” and “you definitely can’t be afraid of the dead.”
Jessika said that her friends love to know her work stories but her family gets “still slightly freaked out” if she gets into in-depth discussions.
