Via iStockphoto / @michaelameier8 TikTok
A nurse says that she parked her car near a 'body farm.' What is a body farm, and what exactly goes on there?
There are a lot of strange jobs out there. For example, some people work at what’s called a “body farm”—and it’s just as creepy as it sounds.
If you have a job that requires you to sit at a desk for eight hours a day, you might find yourself fantasizing about all of the other places you could work.
Even if the job market isn’t great at the moment, there are still a lot of odd careers you can explore. For instance, you could become a hand model. Or you could be an Etsy witch casting good luck spells for other unemployed people.
Now, a user on TikTok says that her job as a nurse puts her in close proximity to a strange, uncomfortable place. The location in question? A “body farm.”
What Is A Body Farm?
In a video with over 1.7 million views, TikTok user and nurse Michaela Meier (@michaelameier8) says that, after a recent shift, she had to walk back to her car alone at night. Making things spookier was the fact that she was parked adjacent to a “body farm.”
“Walking to my car alone after work which is parked on the fence line OF THE BODY FARM,” she writes in the video’s overlay text.
“Yes you heard me. THE BODY FARM,” she continues in the caption. “The downside of being a mid shifter is there’s never parking when you get to work and when you leave it’s just you and an empty lot.”
All of that begs the question: What is a body farm? It’s actually pretty simple to explain.
As one TikTok user summarized in the comments section, “People donate their bodies to science. Then they’re often placed in the body farm which puts them in specific conditions (in cars, under water, shallow graves, etc.) and their decomposition is studied for forensics.”
“It’s extremely important for investigators and pathologists solving crimes to understand how long bodies have been exposed to the elements that they were found in to be able to solve cases,” the commenter continues. “It also teaches law enforcement how to handle crime scenes and how to handle human remains at different stages of decomposition.”
But where exactly are these body farms located—and what really goes on there?
Body Farms In America
Meier is located in Tennessee. This means that the “body farm” she’s referencing is likely the University of Tennessee’s Anthropology Research Facility. It is located in Knoxville.
As the commenter noted, this facility allows scientists to study human decomposition in a controlled environment.
While this is invaluable for researchers, that doesn’t mean that the local community is thrilled about having a bunch of dead bodies decomposing nearby.
The body farm currently sits on the edge of the University of Tennessee Medical Center. In 1985, the hospital built a parking lot nearby. A local activist group protested this decision. Eventually, the University decided to install privacy fences to isolate the body farm from the surrounding area.
Still, given the ongoing existence of this parking lot, one may find themselves in a similar situation to Meier, where they are walking back to their car late at night next to a body farm.
Can You Visit A Body Farm?
Tennessee isn’t the only state with a body farm. Similar facilities now exist in Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, Michigan, and Florida.
At these body farms, researchers place donated human bodies in different environments to study the ways they decompose. The facilities can also be a training ground for law enforcement. For example, the FBI notes that they have sent investigators to the facility for training. This training helps them recover human remains from outdoor crime scenes.
When the bodies are done decomposing, and all tests have been run, remains are frequently collected, cleaned, and added to a research collection for further study.
Given that this sort of work is highly sensitive, you can’t just waltz in and ask for a tour. None of these facilities in the U.S. offer tours or viewings of their body farms, citing the need to protect donors’ anonymity and preserve the integrity of the research.
People Are Intrigued
In the comments section, users offered their opinions on and experiences with the body farm.
“I worked at the body farm last summer… oh the stories i have,” a user wrote.
“I want to go to the body farm so bad. It seems interesting!” exclaimed another.
“I’d love to donate my body to the body farm,” shared a third. “Not only would it help science, but I’d also get my wish of decaying in nature and feeding the land.”
BroBible reached out to Meier via email and Instagram direct message.