Death: Meaning, Manner, Mechanism, Cause and Time

Chapter 11

Death

Manner of death can be natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal, or undetermined. The most common manner of death is natural. Mechanism of Death is the specific

change in the body that brought about the cessation of life

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Determine Time of Death Livor

Mortis

livor mortis: Process when body decomposes and blood seeps down and settles into lower parts of body. Lividity : pooling or settling of blood in tissues after death. Begins 2 hours after death becomes permanent after 8.

Determine Time of Death Livor

Mortis

Livor mortis can: Determine Time of Death Within 2-8 hours, can press skin and color disappears Factors affecting lividity Ambient temperature, anything that could impede flow of blood to area Reveal the position of the corpse within first 8 hours If on back, blood will pool along backside Reveal if the body was moved If moved, may show dual lividity from first position and then from second position

Determine Time of Death Rigor

Mortis

Stiffening of the skeletal muscles after death

At death, skeletal muscles cannot relax. Without oxygen, calcium accumulates in these muscles.

Calcium is used by the body to signal muscle contraction, this accumulation signals the muscles to contract.

The muscles become stiff. Rigor mortis starts in the head and works its way down to the legs.

Determine Time of Death Rigor

Mortis

2 -6 hours postmortem (after death), rigor

begins in the head 12 hours postmortem, rigor is complete and throughout the entire body
15 -36 hours postmortem, the muscle fibers

begin to dissolve, and softening begins (rigor mortis starts to end). 36 -48 hours postmortem, rigor ends and is relaxed throughout the entire body.
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Figure 11-8 in book

Determine Time of Death Rigor

Mortis

Factors that affect rigor mortis

Ambient temperature (cold = slow rigor)
The weight of the body (obesity = slow rigor) The bodys clothing or lack of it Any illness the person had at the time of death

The level of physical activity at the time of

death Sun exposure

Determine Time of Death Algor

Mortis

Cooling of the body after death

In death a body no longer generates warmth

and begins to cool down. To find the standard temperature of a corpse, a thermometer is inserted into the liver. Time of death determined by temperature calculations is expressed as a range of time.
Normal body temperature is 98.6F (37C)

Determine Time of Death Algor

Mortis

Calculations
First 12 hours after death:
Body cools 0.78 C (1.4 F) per hour

After 12 hours after death:

Body cools 0.39 C (0.7 F) per hour

Example What is the temperature loss for someone who has been dead for 12 hours?
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0.78 C x 12 hours = 9.36 C

Stomach and Intestinal

Determine Time of Death

Contents

4-6 hours for stomach to empty contents into small intestine

Another 12 hours for the food to leave the small intestine for the large intestine

24 hours for the food to leave the large intestine

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Stomach and Intestinal

Determine Time of Death

Contents

Example Determine the time of death from the last meal if food is found in the small intestine
Answer: Death occurred 4 - 6 hours after the last meal
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Stages of Decomposition

Determine Time of Death

Within 2 days
Cell autolysis begins following death. Green and purplish staining from blood decomposition. Marbling appearance on the skin. Discoloration of the face.

After 4 days
The skin blisters. The abdomen swells.

Within 6-10 days.

The corpse bloats. Fluids begin to leak from body openings as cell membranes rupture. The skin sloughs off. Eyeballs and other tissues liquefy.

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Determine Time of Death Insects

Forensic Entomology
Within minutes of a death, certain insects

arrive to lay their eggs on the warm body.

Blowflies are a common example.

As a corpse progresses through the stages of

decomposition, other kinds of insects arrive. will discuss more in next unit.

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