A corpse is sometimes found several weeks after the victim has died, and this poses problems for a pathologist estimating the time of death. Help will no longer come from rigor mortis, body temperature, and lividity, so the rate of decay will have to be used.
* About the time the skin becomes detached from the body, the tongue swells, and the eyeballs become liquid.
*The intestines decay first because they contain many species of bacteria.
*The swelling of the body due to gases is especially seen in the face, abdomen, and genitals.
*The decomposing of the stomach can be delayed by its acid that slows or kills bacteria.
*Forensic pathologists can trace a body's decay through the organs and other soft tissues. Near the end of decomposing, the body assumes a greenish-black color.
*The first sign of decomposition is a greenish stain on the skin that begins on the right side of the abdomen.
Even the rate of decay can change according to the surrounding temperature and humidity, because, for example, a body in the open also decays faster than if it were buried or immersed in water. More complications arise if the murderer waited a period of time before butting the victim, or if he moved it later.
Bacteria and the chemical breakdown of the body's cells and tissues, known as autolysis, causd postmordem decomposition, or putrefaction. These processes begin immediately after death, but they may not be visable until two or three days have passed. The sequence of decay is unpleasant(to say the least), even for a veteran forensic scientist. It begins with a greenish discoloration of the skin in the abdomen area, and this spreads to the upper body and head. After three days, gases from decomposition cause bloating, with swelling appearing first in the face. The skin then begins to marble, showing pattern of blood vessels, which resemble a web, near the surface. The skin also develops blisters filled with liquid or gas; when they burst, the skin loosens. Fluids of decomposition drain from the mouth and nose, and the body soon splits open.
Many factors can influence a corpse's rate of decay, including the victim's weight. For example, overweight people decay faster, so the process is not as reliable as tests conducted on someone who is recently deceased.
THE DECAY OF INTERNAL ORGANS
Forensic pathologists can sometimes give a better estimate of the time of death ny checking the internal organs, which decay in a known sequence. Bacteria attack the intestines first, and then decay moves to the liver, lungs, brain, kidneys, stomach (food and acid there can retard the growth of bacteria), and lastly the prostate or uterus.
SKELETALIZATION
When a body's soft tissues have completely decomposed, the forensic anthropologist is left with only bones to work with. This length of this skeletalization process depends on the climate. It might take up to two years in France, for example, but only take a few weeks in the heat of Kenya.
A complete skeleton will normally reveal sex and race, as well as the general area and height of the deceased. Forensic ondontologists can also help estimate the age at time of death by the development of teeth and their amount of wear.
The cause of death may be indicated by trauma, such as a hole in the head, or by natural causes like diseases. Forensic experts are seldom interested in a victims bones that are older than a century, because the murderer will likely be dead.
