Time Since Death Flashcards
Corporeal evidence
Stage of decomposition
Environmental evidence
Insect/plant growth
Anamnestic evidence
Peron’s recall on daily tasks
Eyewitness
Eyewitness evidence to estimate time of death
Postmortem interval
Length of time that has elapsed since a person has died
Algor mortis
Cooling of body after death
Rigor mortis
Stiffening of the body after death
Livor mortis
Setting and pooling of blood after death
Changes to the eye
Tache noir, cloudiness, and potassium levels
Rate of digestion
Last meal is known
Autocatalysis
Natural enzymes breaking down the body after death
Putrefaction
Chemical breakdown of the body by it’s naturally occurring bacteria excreting gases
Bloating
Bacteria involved in decomposition releasing gases
Marbling
Degrading blood begins to seep out of the blood vessels in a radiating pattern
Saponification
When the body is in a moist, anaerobic environment and the body’s fatty adipose tissue turns to Adipocere tissue, becoming whitish and clay-like, turning to soap
Mummification
Natural drying of the body occurring in hot or cold dry climates. Body becomes dry and shrunken but quite well preserved
Forensic Entomoly
Study of insect matter at the crime scene to estimate time of death. Maggot age and develop can be used up to 30 days after death; successional waves of insects can be used up to a year or more after death
Forensic Anthropology
Use of anthropological knowledge of humans and skeletal structure to examine and identify human skeletal remains
