Abstract
Establishing the interval between the time of death and when a bodyis found is one of the most complex questions to be answered by forensicscientists. Postmortem interval (PMI) estimation is absolutely crucial inforensic science for the reconstruction of perimortem events, leading topossible criminal and civil repercussions. In order to estimate accuratelythe time since death, it is essential to have adequate knowledge indecomposition process and the impact of the different environmentalconditions in that process.The postmortem changes useful for estimating time since death spanfrom different processes: physical (like body cooling and hypostasis);metabolic (supravital reactions); physic-chemical (rigor mortis); bacterial(putrefaction); autolysis (loss of selective membrane permeability,diffusion) and insect activity.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Forensic Science |
| Subtitle of host publication | New Developments, Perspectives and Advanced Technologies |
| Publisher | Nova Science Publishers, Inc. |
| Pages | 25-45 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781634831079 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781634830867 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology