Comparison of Protocols for Measuring and Calculating Postmortem Submersion Intervals for Human Analogs in Fresh Water

Humphreys, Michael Keith; Panacek, Edward A.; Green, William; Albers, Elizabeth

doi:10.1111/1556-4029.12033

Cited by 41 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Every 7 days, three specimens of each treatment were removed for analysis over the 6 weeks . Buoyancy was observed visually prior to the removal of the specimen.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As all specimens had been frozen including the control group, the experiment was still useful in determining the difference in decomposition rates between the three environments. Every 7 days, three specimens of each treatment were removed for analysis over the 6 weeks (11,12). Buoyancy was observed visually prior to the removal of the specimen.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Postmortem Intervals in Mice Submerged in Aqueous Environments at 20°C

Celata

2015

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Aqueous submersion can impede decay and produce decomposition stages not seen in terrestrial burials. To further understand the variances, fifty-four mice were submerged in freshwater, marine water, and a control environment at 20°C. The mice displayed sequential stages at differing rates over 6 weeks. Regression plots and comparative t-tests demonstrated that internal putrefaction, weight difference, and abdominal circumference of the aqueous environments varied significantly from the control group. The aqueous subjects did not vary significantly from each other quantitatively. The postmortem intervals were not consistent regardless of temperature or environment although a clear variance was noted between the control and the submerged groups.

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“…Every 7 days, three specimens of each treatment were removed for analysis over the 6 weeks . Buoyancy was observed visually prior to the removal of the specimen.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmortem Intervals in Mice Submerged in Aqueous Environments at 20°C

Celata

2015

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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“…Protocols for determining post-mortem submersion interval (PMSI) have long been problematic for forensic investigators due to the wide variety of factors affecting the rate of decomposition of submerged carrion. The human analogue should be examined at depth using the total aquatic decomposition (TAD) scoring system to calculate an approximate PMSI [20].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Cement and wrapping on the Decomposition rate of the Rabbit Carcasses

Lai¹,

See²,

Ahmad³

et al. 2017

J Forensic Sci Res

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Taphonomic study was fi rst time conducted in Kuala Lumpur, capital city of Malaysia. In this research model, male Oryctolagus cunicullus weighed 1.8-2.6 kg each were killed by Dolethal intravenously at the ear region. In Phase 1 study, eight subjects were wrapped in a sack and cemented within a container to be compared with the other four controls at each location labelled A (ground) and B (manmade freshwater pond). Phase 2 involved duplicating set of 15 cemented samples comparable to 1 control made up to total of 32 subjects which were all put into a compact polytank containing freshwater to simulate a case study. Taphonomic changes were observed and scored using TBS system incorporating of fresh stage, early decomposition stage, advanced decomposition stage and skeletonisation stage. The ambient temperature of surroundings with 28.81C±4.21°C and 29.21°C±4.57°C (mean±S.D.) while relative humidity of air with 74.49 %±14.61% and 79.15%±16.32% (mean±S.D.) were recorded for Phase 1 and Phase 2 study respectively. Time taken for ground control exposed and wrapped carcasses to reach fi rst sign of skeletonised stage were four days and fi ve days respectively. Whilst freshwater controls reached initial skeletonised stage within one week for exposed carcass and two weeks for wrapped carcass. Within the control and cemented sample carcasses, TBS scores increased from initial stages of decomposition and become plateau after advanced decomposition. The cementing factor have superseded the wrapping factor due to its stronger physical barrier effect to slow down the decomposition more than half compared to controls based on Multiple way ANOVA test. Phase 2 study has demonstrated more accurately on the decomposition rate of the cemented samples. It showed that wrapping and cementing factors have delayed the decomposition process of the rabbit carcasses about 4 times to reach the initial stage of skeletonisation compared to the control carcasses. There was absence of insect activity within the cemented samples, hence the microorganism activity would be the only contributor to the decaying process within the cemented samples at slower rate comparing to the exposed or wrapped controls.

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“…No animals were hence subjected to euthanasia for the purposes of the study. Pigs were considered a reliable analogical model due to similarities with the human body in terms of weight, fat-to-muscle ratio and hair coverage [7,[17][18][19][20]. The mean weight chosen was about 80 kg, similar to that of an average adult male human body.…”

Section: Targets and Test Pitsmentioning

confidence: 99%