autopsy
systematic examination of the entire body following suspicious or unexpected deaths, public health concerns, family requests performed by a medical examiner or coroner
gross examination
a visual examination or inspection of organs and tissues before microscopic testing
cause of death
the disease or injury which caused trauma
mechanism of death
the exact physiological event that led to death
manner of death
whether the death was natural or unnatural (homicide, accident, undetermined)
physiological time of death
vital functions stop
estimated time of death
medical examiner's estimate
legal time of death
time of death on certificate (when the body is found or pronounced dead)
postmortem
after death
algor mortis
change in body temperature that begins immediately after death, reaches environmental temperature within 24 hours
rigor mortis
stiffening of the body muscles that occurs 2-4 hours after death, going from head to neck to arms to legs
When does full rigor occur?
8-12 hours after death, fixes position
livor mortis
blood pools at part of body facing ground because of gravity, leads to bluish skin with early signs in the first 2 hours and full signs in 5
When does fixed lividity occur?
8-12 hours after death
When do the corneas cloud after death?
3 to 4 hours
decomposition
turns green, bloats, bacteria breaks tissues and release gas in putrefaction 36-48 hours after death
What halts rigor mortis?
decomposition
insect activity
insect eggs, larva, bugs 1-145 hours
scene marker
clues left at the scene used to establish a timeline
ambient temperature
air temperature of environment; can affect algor mortis and rate of temperature change
analog thermometer
liquid expands and rises when warm and contracts and falls when cool