Legal Definitions - body-snatching

Body-snatching refers to the illegal act of taking a deceased human body without proper legal authorization or consent. While historically often associated with removing bodies from graves, the term broadly applies to any unauthorized removal of a corpse from its rightful resting place or custody.

Here are some examples illustrating body-snatching:

• Example 1: In the early 19th century, a group of medical students, desperate for anatomical specimens due to strict laws, secretly dug up a recently buried body from a local churchyard under the cover of night. They transported the corpse back to their dissection lab for study.

  Explanation: This scenario clearly illustrates body-snatching because the students unlawfully removed a corpse directly from a grave without any legal permission or the consent of the deceased's family. Their intent, even for educational purposes, does not make the act legal.

• Example 2: Following a bitter family dispute over funeral arrangements, a disgruntled relative, who was not the legal next-of-kin or executor, broke into a funeral home after hours. They took the deceased's body, intending to bury it in a different location against the wishes expressed in the will and by the legal executor.

  Explanation: This action qualifies as body-snatching because the relative unlawfully removed the corpse from the legal custody of the funeral home, without any authority or consent from the person legally responsible for the deceased's remains.

• Example 3: A small, secretive organization, believing they could perform a ritual to reanimate the dead, conspired to break into a hospital morgue. They successfully bypassed security and removed the body of a patient who had recently passed away, taking it to a remote location for their ceremony.

  Explanation: This is an instance of body-snatching because the organization unlawfully took a corpse from the hospital's legal possession without any authorization, regardless of their personal beliefs or motivations for doing so.