What Happened to The 900 Bodies and Land? / Jonestown Massacre

The Jonestown tragedy, also known as the Jonestown Massacre, occurred on November 18, 1978, in Jonestown, Guyana, where over 900 members of the Peoples Temple, led by Jim Jones, died in a mass murder-suicide. This horrifying event left hundreds of bodies and a large area of land in a tragic state. Here’s what happened to both the bodies and the land after the incident:
The Bodies
After the mass death, the U.S. government faced a monumental task of dealing with over 900 bodies in a foreign country. Here’s how they handled it:

Identification and Processing: Initially, Guyanese authorities lacked the resources to handle the large number of bodies, so the U.S. military was brought in to assist. Military personnel were sent to Jonestown to document and photograph bodies, attempting to identify them before transporting them back to the U.S.

Transport to the U.S.: Bodies were flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the main site for handling mass casualties. The U.S. military established temporary morgues there to manage the influx of bodies, many of which were in advanced stages of decomposition due to the hot and humid climate of Guyana.

Burial: Some victims were claimed by their families and buried in individual graves. However, many remained unclaimed and were ultimately buried in a mass grave at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California, where a memorial to the Jonestown victims now stands.

2. The Land
Jonestown was initially leased land that the Peoples Temple members had cleared to establish their settlement. After the tragedy:

Abandonment: The land was essentially abandoned after the massacre. The Guyanese government took control of it, and no further development or occupation occurred for some time.

Reclamation by Nature: Over the years, the land became overgrown by jungle as nature reclaimed the area, and the original buildings decayed and disappeared.

Today, Jonestown is overgrown, with no visible remains of the original structures. The area serves as a stark reminder of the tragic events that transpired there and remains largely undisturbed by visitors.