I think the open vs. closed casket has to do more with whether or not the body is embalmed. If no embalming, an open casket funeral has to be held 1-3 days after death. (My MIL did not want my FIL to be embalmed when he died, so I know a little about this.) State funerals take about a week and the body is lying in state, not in a refrigerator. I think it has more to do with the process of the body starting to decompose.

I think the open vs. closed casket has to do more with whether or not the body is embalmed. If no embalming, an open casket funeral has to be held 1-3 days after death. (My MIL not want my FIL to be embalmed when he died, so I know a little about this.) State funerals take about a week and the body is lying in state, not in a refrigerator. I think it has more to the process of the body starting to decompose.