The decomposing body with what the villagers interpreted as signs of vampirism was dealt with in a number of ways, as detailed below.
“The corpse was taken out of the grave, was scalded with boiling oil, and was pierced through the navel with a long nail. Then the tomb was covered in, and millet was scattered over it that, if the vampire came out again, he might waste his time in picking up the grains of millet and be thus overtaken by dawn. For the usual period of their wanderings is from about two hours before midnight till the first crowing of the morning cock. At the sound of which ‘fearful summons’ the Vrykolakas, like the Gaelic sithche, or fairy, vanishes into his subterranean abode… If, despite their watchfulness, a cat does jump across the body [of a newly dead person], the latter is immediately pierced with two big ‘sack-needles’ (σακκορραφαις) in order to prevent the dread calamity. The visits of a vampire are further guarded against by scattering mustard seed over the tiles of the roof, or by barricading the door with brambles and thorn-bushes…” (Abbott)
“A vampire usually performs his evil trick for 40 days and, if he is not destroyed, i.e., killed by some vampirdzhija or devoured by a wolf, he develops a skeleton and becomes even more frightening… All were destroyed before 40 days were up, and the populace found their blood and gel. In order to protect themselves from vampires they place a sunflower on the door of the house, since they are convinced that the vampire is afraid of it and will not dare to enter.” (“Zakhariev”)
“They decided to exhume the corpse, cremate it and scatter the ashes. The decision was carried out. Peasants, armed with pickaxes and spades, set off for the cemetery. Others carried wood for the pyre, and one had prepared a sharpened hawthorn stake. The whole peasant crowd, led by the sons of the deceased Paja, arrived at the cemetery. The corpse was exhumed, impaled with a hawthorn stake and thrown onto the pyre. After the body was cremated, they scattered its ashes and the few remaining charred bones were thrown back onto the grave.” (Vreme)
“Why, they even hold that they [vampires] cannot be struck by any kind of wood, but only a stake of black thorn, which had been done many times. (Liepopili)
“Vampires (kosce) must be stabbed with pointed objects, decapitated, struck in the knees with an axe or sword.” (Liepopili)
“They mutilated them [vampires] with stakes and a pruning knife.” (Liepopoli)
“When on September 20th I was travelling past Zadar on the way to Senjska Rijeka, Stijepo Fulmis told me Dom Martin Borovincic was with them when they were searching for vampires (kosce), and told me that they had impaled my late mother.” (Liepopili)