Chapter 11

Carrion

An animal that survives by eating another animal's flesh.

Algor Mortis (time)

Approximately one hour after death, the body cools at a rate of 0.78°C (1.4°F) per hour. After the first 12 hours, the body loses about 0.39°C (0.7°F) per hour until the body reaches the same temperature as the surroundings.

Livor Mortis (time)

At hot temperature lividity happens quicker At a cold temperature lividity happens slower Happens between 2-8 hours

Type of clothing

Because cloth- ing helps keep a body warm, the presence of clothes accelerates rigor mortis. A naked body cools faster, which slows down the onset of rigor mortis.

Tiny wasps

Tiny wasps come to lay their eggs on maggots already present on the body. Wasp larvae live as parasites inside the maggots, feeding on their flesh.

Undetermined

When a coroner can't make the determination whether the victim purposely took an action to end their life.

Autopsy

a medical doctor called a forensic pathologist conducts an examination on the deceased

Cheese skippers

arrive once putrefaction is underway; they are attracted by the seepage of body fluid

Livor Mortis (Process)

body begins to decompose, blood seeps down through the tissues and settles into the lower parts of the body. The red blood cells begin to break down, spilling their contents. Hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen and gives blood its red color, turns purple when it spills out of the cells. This purplish color is visible on parts of the skin wherever the blood pools

Sun exposure

body exposed to direct sunlight will be warmer, and rigor mortis would occur faster.

Mites and beetles

favor drier con- ditions, such as the mites and beetles that feed on dry tissues and hair

Natural Death

interruption and failure of body functions resulting from age or disease

Death (heart)

irreversible cessation of circulation of blood

Homicidal

is the death of one person caused by another person.

Suicidal Death

occurs when a person purposefully kills one- self,

Stomach Contents (>12 hours)

small intestine is empty and wastes are found in the large intestine

Rigor Mortis (Process)

stiffness occurs because the skeletal muscles are unable to relax and remain contracted and hard.

Stomach Contents (4-6 hours)

stomach is empty but food is found in the small intestine

Pupa

the stage in an insect's life cycle when the larva forms a capsule around itself and changes into its adult form

Changes of the eye after death

thin film is observed within two to three hours if the eyes were open at death and within 24 hours if the eyes were covered at death.

Stomach Contents (0-2 hours)

undigested stomach contents are present

Accidental Death

unplanned events, such as a car accident or falling from a ladder

Stages of decomposition (Within two days)

• Cell autolysis begins following death. • Green and purplish staining occurs from blood decomposition. • The skin takes on a marbled appearance. • The face becomes discolored.

Stages of decomposition (6-10 days)

• The corpse bloats with carbon dioxide as bacteria continue to feed on tissues. Eventually, the gas causes the chest and abdominal cavities to burst and collapse. • Fluids begin to leak from the body openings as cell membranes rupture. • Eyeballs and other tissues liquefy. • The skin sloughs off.

Stages of decomposition (> four days)

• The skin blisters. • The abdomen swells with the gas carbon dioxide that is released by bacteria living in the intestines.

A person's weight

Body fat stores extra oxygen and will slow down rigor mortis. A person with less oxygen stored in the body experiences rigor faster

Algor Mortis

Cooling of the body after death

Illness

If a person dies with a fever, the body temperature will be higher, and rigor mortis will set in faster. If a person experi- ences hypothermia, the onset of rigor will be slower.

Level of physical activity shortly before death

If a person was exercising or struggling before death, then rigor will progress faster. This is true for several reasons, including the fact that exercise increases body temperature and decreases oxygen availability to the cells in the body and increases lactic acid levels.

Larva

Immature form of an animal that undergoes morphological differences

Cause of death

Immediate reason for someone's death

Accumulated Degree hours (ADH)

Insects collected at the crime scene and then raised in the laboratory under the same environmental conditions as those found at the crime scene.

Dual Lividity

Occurs when the body is kept in one position for two hours and then moved to another position before lividity became permanent

Putrefaction

Odor of decaying flesh and corpse appears swollen

Manner of Death

One of the five means by which someone dies

Instar

One of the three larval stages of development

Livor Mortis

Pooling of blood in tissues after death. Resulting in a reddish color of the skin

Lividity

Pooling of the blood in he body. Begins two hours after death and is permanent eight hours after death

Decomposition

Process of rotting and breaking down

Rigor Mortis (time)

Rigor mortis starts within two hours after death. The stiffness starts in the head and gradually works its way down to the legs. After 12 hours, the body is at its most rigid state. The stiffness gradually disappears after 36 hours. Sometimes, depending on body weight and temperature in the area, rigor may remain for 48 hours. If a body shows no visible rigor, it has prob- ably been dead less than two hours or more than 48 hours. If a body is very rigid, then the body has been dead for about 12 hours.

Mechanism of Death

Specific body failure that leads to death

Autolysis

Spontaneous breakdown of cells as they self-digest

Rigor Mortis

Stiffening of the skeletal muscles after death

First stage of death

Stoppage of organs and autolysis of cells.

Forensic Entomology

Study of insects as they pertain to legal issues

Ambient Temperature

The cooler the body, the slower the onset of rigor. The warmer the body, the onset of rigor is faster because chemical reac- tions happen more quickly at higher temperatures

Blowfly

The eggs will hatch and feed on the nutritious decomposing tissues attracted to two gases of decomposi- tion that have only recently been discovered by scientists, called putrescine and cadaverene

Death

The end of someone's life

Myiasis

The infestation a botfly in a dead body

Death (brain)

cessation of all brain activity

Algor Mortis (process)

death heat and describes the temperature loss in a corpse.