Points Taken into Consideration when Finding

Human Dead Body Elsewhere:

1. Place where the body was found
2. Date and time when found
3. Cause of death
4. Time when death occurred
5. Approximate age
6. Possible occupation
7. Complete description of the body
Points to be Considered in Identifying a Person

1. Face
2. Eyes
3. Nose
4. Head
5. Condition of hair
6. Mouth
7. Body built
8. Height
9. Weight
10. Complexion
11. Hands and feet
12. Teeth
13. Clothing
14. Ornamental
15. Personal belongings
16. Identification from spouse, parents, relatives and friends
17.Files from the police and other law enforcement
agencies
18. Occupational mark
19. Race
20. Tattoo marks
21. Deformities
22. Birth marks
23. Physical defects leaving permanent results such as
amputation and improper union of the fractured bones
24. Moles
25. Scars
26. Tribal marks
27. Sexual organ
28. Blood grouping
1. Changes in the Muscle

Three stages in the muscles occur after death:

 Stage of primary flaccidity or period of muscular irritability

 Stage of post-mortem rigidity or cadaveric rigidity or
death struggle of muscles or “rigor mortis”
 Stage of secondary flaccidity or secondary relaxation or
commencement of putrefaction
Factors influencing the time of onset of
rigor mortis

 Internal factors;
State of the muscles
Age
Integrity of the nerves
 External factors
 Temperature
 Moisture
• Conditions simulating rigor mortis
 Heat stiffening
 Cold stiffening
 Cadaveric spasms or instantaneous rigor
CADAVERIC SPASM

is the immediate or instantaneous spasm or

rigidity of the skeletal muscles occurring at the
moment of death due to exhaustion, nervous
tension or stress, fear, anger, or injury to the motor
nerves or injury to the chest
Distinction between Rigor Mortis and Cadaveric Spasm:

RIGOR MORTIS CADAVERIC SPASM

TIME OF APPEARANCE 3-6 hrs after death immediately after death

certain muscle or group of

MUSCLES INVOLVED all the muscles
muscles; asymmetrical

OCCURRENCE occurs after death may or may not appear

MEDICO-LEGAL to approximate the time of determine the nature of the

SIGNIFICANCE death crime
2. CHANGES IN THE BLOOD
a. Coagulation of the Blood
coagulation of the blood is promoted by the stasis or
slowing of the blood circulation

Accelerated in cases of death by infectious fevers and

delayed in cases of asphyxia , poisoning by opium or
carbon monoxide poisoning

blood may remain fluid in blood vessels after death for 6-8
hours
b. Post-mortem lividity or post-mortem hypostasis or
livor mortis

– occurs in the most dependent portions of the body

– The whole area becomes dull red or purplish in color
– If the change of position of the body has been changed after
clotting , a change of position of the body will not alter the
location of the post-mortem lividity
– This usually appears 3-6 hours after death. Fully developed
after 12 hours
Physical characteristics of post-mortem lividity

 It occurs in the most extensive areas of the most

dependent portions of the body
 It only involves the superficial layer of the skin
 It does not appear elevated from the rest of the skin
 The color is uniform but it may become greenish at the
start of decomposition
• Importance of post-mortem lividity/cadaveric lividity

– It is one of the signs of death

– It may determine whether the position of the body has been
changed after its appearance in the body
– The color of the lividity may indicate the cause of death
asphyxia- dark
carbon monoxide poisoning- bright pink
hemorrhage, anemia- less marked
– It gives us an idea as to the time of death
3. Autolytic or Auto digestive changes after death

After Death, proteolytic, glycolytic and lipolytic ferments of

glandular tissues continue to act which lead to the
autodigestion of organs.

This action is facilitated by weak acid and higher

temperature and delayed by the alkaline reaction of the
tissues of the body and low temperature.
4. PUTREFACTION OF THE BODY

Putrefaction is the breaking down of the complex

proteins into simpler components associated with
the evolution of foul smelling gases and
accompanied by the change of color of the body.
KINDS OF PUTREFACTION

1. Mummification
– Dehydration of the whole body which results in the
preservation of the body
– It usually occurs when a body is buried in hot, arrid
place with dry atmosphere and with free access of hot
air
– This is observed in warm countries where evaporation
of body fluids take place earlier than decomposition
2. Saponification or Adipocere formation

condition wherein the fatty tissues of the body are

transformed to soft brownish-white substance known as
adipocere

subcutaneous tissue is the frequent site of its formation

3. Maceration

occurs when the body is found in a fluid medium, due to the

action of autolytic and proteolytic enzymes and ferments.

takes 24 hours for maceration to develop