POST-MORTEM CHANGES, TIME OF Yazan Al-Habil

Raghda Rabie

DEATH AND IDENTIFICATION Ahmad Qaddomi

2022
INTRODUCTION, LIVOR MORTIS, AND Yazan Al-Habil
RIGOR MORTIS
 INTRODUCTION
▪ Importance of determining the time of
death.
▪ Post-mortem interval.
▪ Reliability.
▪ Methods: livor mortis, rigor mortis, body
temperature, decomposition, vitreous
electrolyte composition, digestion of
stomach contents, insect activity, flow
cytometry, DNA degradation and
circumstantial information.
LIVOR MORTIS – LIVIDITY/POST-MORTEM HYPOSTASIS
▪ Definition: the pooling of the blood in the
body due to gravity and the lack of
blood circulation. *not to be confused with
bruising.
▪ Pigmentation (reddish-purple).
▪ Surfaces, vessel compression, and pressure.
▪ Carbon monoxide, cyanide, cold
temperatures, shots, and medical
apparatus.
▪ Most evident at 30-120 minutes,
maximized at 8-12 hours.
▪ Antemortum livor mortis – slow deaths.
▪ Motion.
▪ Fixation and temperatures (8-36 hour
variation).
▪ Incisions and applied pressure –
key to differentiation.
▪ Internal livor mortis.
▪ Tardieu spots – markers of near
decomposition.
▪ Head injuries – localized and
minimized hemorrhage.
▪ Significance.
 RIGOR MORTIS – STIFFENING
▪ ATP and myosin/actin filaments.
▪ Cadaveric spasm – early stiffening.
▪ Starts at 2-4 hour mark and matures at 6-12 hour mark.
▪ Temperature effect on timing.
▪ Order of muscles – constant time/rate.
▪ Accelerating factors (maturation at 2-3 hours):
- Hot temperatures.
- Infants versus emaciated patients.
- Cerebral hemorrhage and the body’s regulatory mechanism.
- Sympathomiteic drugs.
- Delirium
- Infection
- Activity
▪ Significance.
CASE: MOVEMENT AND RIGOR MORTIS
 CASE: DROWNED BOY
▪ 14-year-old boy found in a cold lake.
▪ Drowned 17 days prior.
▪ Early decomposition. (swollen face and
discolored skin).
▪ Full rigor mortis.
CONCLUSION
 BODY TEMPERATURE
▪ The body temperature decrease until decomposition.

▪ Why its not very accurate to use body temperature to determine how long an individual has been
dead?
Because you should know if the body temperature was normal at death.

▪ Time since death = 37e°C Rectal temperature (C)+3

▪ The problem with formulas using body temperature is that they are based on the assumption that the
body temperature is normal premortum which is not always correct!

▪ Body temperature varies depending on so many factors such as the health of the individual, where it
was taken, time of the day…
 DECOMPOSITION
▪ Involves: 1. autolysis
2. putrefaction

▪ Autolysis: the breakdown of cells and organs through an aseptic chemical process caused by
intracellular enzymes.

▪ Pancreas will undergo autolysis before the heart.

▪ Putrefaction: septic process due to bacteria and fermentation.

➢ Putrefaction = Decomposition

▪ Depends on: 1. the environment

2. the body
 DECOMPOSITION
Sequence of events in decomposition of bodies:
1. First 24-36hrs: Greenish discoloration of
the lower quadrant of the abdomen.
 DECOMPOSITION
2. greenish discoloration of the head, neck
and shoulders, swelling of the face and marbling.

▪ Marbling: hemolysis of blood in vessels

with reaction of hemoglobin and hydrogen sulfide
and development of greenish-black coloration
along the vessels
 DECOMPOSITION
3. After 60-72 hrs: generalized bloating

4. vesicle formation, skin slippage

and hair slippage.

5. The body is a pale green to green-black color.

 DECOMPOSITION
Decomposition fluids (purge fluid):
▪ Purge fluid is often misinterpreted by the
inexperienced as blood.

▪ Decomposition fluid will also accumulate in body cavities. BE CAREFUL!

 DECOMPOSITION
Temperatures and decomposition:

▪ Temperature affects decomposition; high temperatures accelerates decomposition while cold

weather slow it down.

▪ Once decomposition has set in, refrigeration wont stop it.

 DECOMPOSITION
Eye changes and decomposition:
▪ Tache noire is an artefactual drying consisting of a brown to black band of discolored
sclera where the eyes are partly open and exposed to the air.

▪ In closed eyes, by 24 h, there is usually a white scummy deposit on the cornea.

 INSECT ACTIVITY
▪ Changes of the body as related to scavenger or insect activity.

▪ Identification of the type of insects present and their stage of

development, in conjunction with knowledge of the rate of
their development, is sometimes used to:
1. determine approximately how long a body has been dead.
2. indicate that the body has been moved from one area to another.

▪ The insects that are attracted to a dead body fall into three categories:
1. the necrophagous species, which feed on the body itself
2. the predators and parasites, which feed on the necrophagous insects
3. the omnivorous species, which feed on both the body and on the other insects.
 INSECT ACTIVITY
▪ The necrophagous species are the most important in determining the time of death.

▪ The temperature and humidity of the environment are the major factors controlling the laying of eggs
and the rate of development of the necrophagous insects.

▪ Flies are the most common form of insect associated with decomposing bodies. They
tend to lay their eggs in orifices of the body and in open wounds.

▪ Blowflies do not normally lay eggs at night.

▪ If the body has not been moved and only eggs are present on the body, one can assume that the
duration of death has been about 1–2 days.

▪ It is the authors’ opinion that any attempt to determine time of death using entomological evidence
from bodies should be done only with the aid of an entomologist.
OTHER METHODS FOR DETERMINING TIME OF
DEATH
Vitreous Potassium:

▪ It is known that, as time since death increases, so does the concentration

of potassium. an accurate method for determination of time
of death from vitreous potassium has not been developed.

▪ The wide variation is because increases in potassium concentration

in the vitreous are controlled by the rate of decomposition.

▪ Anything that accelerates decomposition, for example, high temperature, will increase
potassium rise.
 OTHER METHODS FOR DETERMINING TIME OF
DEATH
DNA, RNA and Protein Degradation:
▪ After death, biological markers, including DNA, RNA,
and proteins, are degraded by proteases, nucleases and bacteria.

▪ Techniques such as flow cytometry, electrophoresis and RT-PCR

(reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) have all been investigated.

▪ All show positive correlations between time of death and amount of degradation.
 OTHER METHODS FOR DETERMINING TIME OF
DEATH
Gastric Emptying and Digestion
▪ One way of attempting to determine the time of death is by establishing the time interval
between eating and death and then finding the time the deceased last ate.

▪ The time for digest a meal varies from 0.5 to 6 hours.

▪ The length of time required to empty the stomach is variable as it depends upon a lot of factors
like nature and consistency of food, motility of stomach, food contents, environment,
emotional/psychological factors.

▪ Even when the exact timing and amount of the last meal is known, there is a great deal of
variability in predicting digestion. Thus, trying to use the amount and type of food present in the
stomach at death to predict the time of death should not be attempted.
 OTHER METHODS FOR DETERMINING TIME OF
DEATH
Scene Markers:
▪ One of the most reliable ways of predicting time since death is simply to investigate when the
decedent was last seen alive and when they were found dead – indicating that the death
occurred sometime in between.

▪ In order to narrow this window, investigators may also utilize markers present at the scene in an
attempt to determine the last known alive time. Helpful scene markers may include:

➢ Cell phone calls or text messages

➢ Uncollected mail or newspapers
➢ Whether the lights are on or off
➢ How the individual is dressed
➢ Any food that is out or dirty dishes in the sink
➢ Sales receipts or dated slips of paper in the deceased’s pockets
➢ Witness statements
 IDENTIFICATION
Visual:

▪ The most commonly used method for identifying

a decedent is visual.

▪ Though common, visual identifications can

be fraught with error.

▪ In other cases, such as with decomposition or severe

trauma, a visual identification may just not be possible.
 IDENTIFICATION
Fingerprints:
▪ The second most common method for identification is fingerprint comparison.

▪ Unlike visual identifications, fingerprints are considered a scientific

identification technique.

▪ Like the other scientific methods, fingerprints require a reference standard

to make the identification – meaning ante mortem prints need to be available for comparison.

▪ Unfortunately, however, on some bodies, fingerprints simply cannot be obtained especially in cases
of skeletal or burned bodies.
 IDENTIFICATION
Circumstantial:
▪ Circumstantial information includes information that can be obtained from the scene.

▪ For example: the name on the car registration, the owner of the home, characteristic clothing
or jewelry on the decedent.

▪ A search through the decedent’s wallet or cell phone may lead to a helpful business card
such as a lawyer or parole officer or a phone number to a relative such as “mom” or “dad.”

▪ Findings on the body itself such as distinctive tattoos or scars.

▪ Identifying features such as height, weight, eye color and hairstyle can be useful.

▪ Internal findings can be of assistance as well. For instance, previous surgeries such as an
appendectomy or hysterectomy, unique congenital abnormalities like a horseshoe kidney.
 IDENTIFICATION
Anthropology:
▪ Identifying characteristics such as sex, height, age and ancestry can often be estimated.

▪ In addition, more unique features such as bony abnormalities can be used to establish identification.
 IDENTIFICATION
Dental:
▪ When a body is unable to be identified either visually or through fingerprints, usually due to
trauma, decomposition and/or fire, dental is usually the next preferred method.

▪ Dental identifications are relatively easy and quick and can be completed on burned and
decomposed bodies.

▪ Dental identifications require ante mortem radiographs to establish a positive identification.

▪ To make a dental identification, dental charts should be prepared and X-rays of the jaws
obtained. These can be used to compare with the dental X-rays and charts of the individual
who is believed to be the deceased.
 IDENTIFICATION
Radiographic and Medical Identifications:
▪ Comparison of postmortem X-rays to the antemortem X-rays of the
individual the deceased is suspected of being.

▪ X-rays of virtually any area of the body can potentially be suitable

for comparison. Identification can be based on the bones, soft-tissue
calcification, enteric accretions (e.g., gallstones, kidney stones, etc.) and
opaque stints, filters, clips, surgical screws, retained projectiles.

▪ Additionally, implanted surgical hardware can be used to

establish positive identification.

▪ Implanted pacemakers, defibrillators and orthopedic hardware such as

knee and joint replacements are often embossed with unique lot
and serial numbers that can be matched to antemortem medical records.
 IDENTIFICATION
DNA:
▪ DNA analysis can be very specific depending upon the reference
sample used for comparison and can be utilized on
decomposed, skeletal and burned remains.

▪ It is, however, time-intensive, often taking several days

to complete, and relatively expensive.

▪ DNA comparison requires a reference standard for comparison.

This reference standard may be obtained from the decedent’s biological mother, father or
children and used for parentage analysis.

▪ Reference sample may be obtained from a toothbrush or other biologic material known
to have come from the decedent.
THANK YOU!