Time of Death & Decomposition

Part 1: Video Question Name: Gabriel Perozo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqOITqLfnkc

1. What is the first thing that happens after you die?

the heartbeat and blood circulation slow down

2. Lividity and what causes it?

discoloration of skin due to blood pooling up

3. When does Rigor Mortis start?

2-6 hours

4. What is the role of insects in decomposition?

make holes in the body that help release built up gases

5. Describe the state of a body that is in the post decay stage. The body still has hair and the body is dry.

Part 2: Time of Death Practice

Use your notes to help you answer the questions below.

1. An autopsy of a deceased woman found a large quantity of sleeping pills in her stomach.

a. What was the manner of death? _____suicide_________

b. What was the mechanism of death? ____taking pills________

2. A skeleton has been discovered in the woods. Would you call a pathologist, entomologist, or anthropologist?
____anthropologist_______

3. A deceased body is still warm, and shows no signs of lividity. How long has the person been dead? less than 2 hours

4. A dead body has a large amount of livor mortis on it’s back. When the body is moved, the livor mortis does not
change or fade. How long has the person been dead? __0-3 days______

5. In what position was the person immediately after his/her death? laid on back

6. A body is found in a home. It has a distended, bloated appearance. The skin is greenish black, and there is some
marbling. Approximately how many days has the person been dead? 4-10 days

7. A body is found in the woods. There are large maggot masses, and a very bad odor. Approximately how long has
the person been dead? 10-20 days

8. The remains of a body are found in a field. There is some soil staining, and the area is surrounded by fly pupae.
Approximately how many days has the person been dead? 20-50 days

9. Some bones are found. There is no evidence of other biological materials or insect activity. Approximately how long
has the person been dead? 50-365 days
Part 3: Calculating Time of Death using Rigor Mortis
Directions: Use Figure 1 and Figure 2 below to answer the questions.

Background: In old detective movies, a dead body was often referred to as a “stiff.” The term refers to the onset
of rigor mortis that follows soon after death. In this activity, you will estimate the approximate time of death by
analyzing the degree of rigor of the deceased body.

Figure 1
Time After Death Event Appearance Circumstances
2 to 6 hours Rigor begins Body becomes stiff and Stiffness begins with the
stiffness moves down eyelids and jaw muscles
body. after about two hours,
then center of body
stiffens, then arms and
legs.
12 hours Rigor Complete Peak rigor is exhibited. Entire body is rigid.
15 to 36 hours Slow loss of rigor Loss of rigor is small Rigor lost first in head
muscles first followed by and neck and last in
larger muscles bigger leg muscles
36 to 48 hours Rigor totally disappears Muscles become relaxed Many variables may
extend rigor beyond the
normal 36 hours.

Figure 2
Factors Affecting Rigor Event Effect Circumstances
Temperature Cold Temperature Inhibits rigor Slower onset and slower
progression of rigor
Warm Temperature Accelerates rigor Faster onset and faster
progression of rigor
Activity before death Aerobic exercise Accelerates rigor Lack of oxygen to
muscle, the build up of
lactic acid, and higher
body temperatures
accelerates rigor
Sleep Slows rigor Muscles fully generated
will exhibit rigor more
slowly
Body Weight Obese Slows rigor Fat stores oxygen
Thin Accelerates rigor Body loses oxygen
quickly and body heats
faster

Estimate the approximate time of death for the following situations. Explain each of your answers:
1. A body was found with no evidence of rigor.

2. A body was found exhibiting rigor throughout the entire body

 3. A body was found exhibiting rigor in the chest, arms, face, and neck.

4. A body was discovered with rigor present in the legs, but no rigor in the upper torso.

5. A body was discovered with most muscles relaxed, except for the face.

6. A body was discovered in the weight room of a gym. A man had been doing “arm curls” with heavy
weights. The only place rigor was present was in his arms.

Part 4: Time of Death Analysis Questions from Scenario

1. Bones on the Run: A jogger found a decomposed body in a Flushing, Queens, NY park on Wednesday afternoon,
February 8, 2017. The unsettling find was made near a wooded area of a bike path in Kissena Park. The body consisted of a
skull and bones scattered along the area. Sources claimed tattered clothing was also recovered at the scene that appeared
to be soaked in blood. The body was so decomposed that with the initial search at the scene, the police were unable to tell
if the bones belonged to a male or female and would have to send it to an anthropologist to determine gender and if the
body endured trauma before death.

Scene Information:
• Date: February 8, 2017
• Time: Police arrived on scene at 5:19 PM.
• Location: 164-15 Booth Memorial Ave, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365
• Temperature: The high for this day was unusually high at 65°F with an overnight low the night before of 39°F. The
previous day and weeks highs were in the 40s with January seeing highs between 32°F -61°F.
• Kissena park covers 235 acres with Kissena Creek flowing into a body of water. The park has some heavily wooded
areas, which is where the remains were found. A box cutter was found near the body that had quite a bit of rust on
it.

Information from Medical Examiner

• The medical examiner was unable to take a body temperature, look at algor mortis or liver mortis due to the state
of decomposition of the body. The body was mostly bones with a fair amount of dried tissue still attached. Some
bones were still connected by tissue while some were pulled apart, probably from animals feeding off the body
tissue.
• The medical examiner found beetles and mites feeding off the body at the crime scene and collected them to
examine back at the office.
• The anthropologist that looked at the bones noticed two deep cut marks on the radius of the left arm, and on three
ribs that appeared to be made by a sharp object like a knife.

Answer all the following questions to the best of your knowledge using the information above.

1. Description of Crime Scene: The crime scene seemed to be suspicious because of how long it took for the
body to be found and the condition it was found in.
 2. Details about temperature, weather and season: The high for this day was unusually high at 65°F with
an overnight low the night before of 39°F. The previous day and weeks highs were in the 40s with
January seeing highs between 32°F -61°F.

3. What evidence and indicators were found that can help you determine time of death? Be specific…what
exactly did they find? The body is found decomposed and only a set of bones are left meaning this person
has been dead for about 50-365 days

4. What method(s) are you going to use to determine time of death at this crime scene? (Hint: You should
use more than one method to be more accurate)
determine the manor of death and determine the mechanism of death

5. Determine time of death. Explain your answer to show your reasoning. (Time of death can be a range of
days given the correct explanation.) the time of death is somehwere around 50-70 days due to the fact
that there is still some flesh thats connecting some bones together

6. What is your suspected manner of death? Explain

my suspected manor of death is homicide because there were deep cuts from a sharp object on the left
arm and 3 ribs

7. What would be your best estimation of mechanism and cause of death, according to the information
that is given?

I think this was a homicide resulting in the victim being stabbed and ended up bleeding to death due to the
untreated injuries