Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt - S3-E8
Stupidity: SPOILERS AHEAD: It has been a good minute between Hopper killing Grigory and Joyce turning the key. He could have used that time to run as quickly as he can towards her, instead of staring at her for 30 seconds. Also, Dustin didn't have to yell (through the radio) so panicky yet about closing the gate. While Mind Flayer was killing Billy, El and other kids could have used the time to run further again and get another 2-3 minutes, in that time Hopper would surely come to a safe place.
Answer: The body was fake, made by the scientists at Hawkins Lab in an attempt to cover up his disappearance and the existence of the Upside Down.