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