The behavior of a corpse during the dying process provides important clues to the cause of death and the time elapsed since death. Forensic analysis plays a crucial role in using these clues to solve mysterious deaths and uncover the truth of the case.
It’s natural for people to die. But when a person dies in an unexplained manner, those around them are left wondering and want to know why. Death is inevitable for all of us, but when the process is unclear or unusual, we naturally want to find out why. This is an instinctive human reaction, and it is also a social and ethical responsibility to try to uncover the truth about death.
A long time ago in South Korea, on February 4, 2001, two naked bodies were found a week apart in the Ddul River in Naju, Jeolla Province. This is where forensic science came into play, revealing the truth through the various traces left on the bodies. The victim, Park Yang, had both strangulation and drowning marks on her body, indicating that she was strangled to death in the water. DNA from the suspect’s semen was also found on Park Yang’s body, indicating that she and the suspect had had sexual intercourse. Forensic techniques such as DNA analysis provide clues to the case and play a crucial role in tracking down the killer. But the role of forensic science is not just about finding the culprit. It’s an important tool for preserving the dignity of life and uncovering wrongful deaths. However, this was not proof of actual murder. The forensic scientists found a clue to the murder in the unusual condition of the suspect’s semen and Park’s menstrual blood not mixing in Park’s body. Normally, semen and menstrual blood mix when a person moves, but they don’t mix after death because the deceased is immobile. This suggested that Park Yang had died shortly after having sex. These subtle clues are very important, as they can often make or break a case. As the Dudley River murder case illustrates, forensic science is more than just a scientific analysis; it is an academic discipline that clearly distinguishes and interprets human life and death.
As the Diddle River murder case shows, depending on where and how a person dies, various phenomena occur after death. These phenomena are called corpse phenomena, which refers to various changes that occur in the corpse according to natural laws as life activities cease immediately after death. For example, the body becomes hard and stiff, and the color of the body changes to black. These changes define the boundary between life and death and provide important clues for forensic analysis to estimate the cause of death and the time elapsed since death. By analyzing when these phenomena occur, we can solve the mysterious deaths around us. Since there are not enough forensic science majors to meet the growing number of mysterious deaths, this article will look at the scientific principles of these phenomena to improve the public’s understanding of forensic evidence. In this article, we’ll focus on the most important clues for determining the cause of death, namely, the body’s shivan and shikang.
When a person dies, breathing and circulation stop, blood color turns pale, muscles relax, pupils dilate, and the pupillary reflex disappears. In this state, the heart stops beating, which is called cardiopulmonary death, but some cells in the body are still alive and have some cellular activity for a period of time. During the progression from cardiopulmonary death to complete biological death, typical cadaveric phenomena such as jerking, cavitation, decreased body temperature, desiccation, and decomposition occur.
They can be divided into early necropsy, such as temperature drops, blood pooling, stiffness, and desiccation; late necropsy, when the body decomposes or disintegrates; and abnormal necropsy, which occurs under special conditions, such as hemi-skeletonization, mummification, embalming, and embalming, which also occurs in the cadavers of infants. These phenomena are not simply postmortem changes, but are the result of the body’s interaction with the environment after life has ceased. This allows forensic scientists to estimate the cause of death and time of death, and to unravel the whole story. The reason for analyzing these phenomena is to estimate the time and cause of death. However, when analyzing cadaveric phenomena, there are always interfering phenomena that need to be considered.
An interfering phenomenon is “any finding that may interfere with the diagnosis or forensic interpretation of the cause of death, whether it is an ante-mortem or post-mortem phenomenon”. Common examples include interference from cardiac massage and the use of defibrillators. In the case of cardiac massage, this can lead to chest strains and multiple rib fractures. In addition, the use of AEDs can cause subcutaneous hemorrhage or skin stripping in the skin around the nose and mouth, and acute emphysema. Forensic scientists must be careful to analyze these interferences correctly and avoid misinterpreting the true nature of the case. Forensic science is a discipline that requires precision and accuracy, and clearly identifying interference can be an important key to uncovering the truth of a case. Therefore, when making forensic interpretations, it is always important to keep in mind that interfering phenomena may be involved.
The first of these is blood subsidence on the exterior surface, a phenomenon that occurs after death when circulation stops and red blood cells are forced by gravity through the blood vessels to collect on the exterior surface of the body or under the viscera when the body is in a certain position for a period of time. The location, color, and stage of development of these spots can be used to determine the time of death and cause of death. The analysis of cibans can be the first clue at the scene of a death and can be used to determine whether the body has been moved or died of other causes. First, the position of the shiban changes depending on the body’s posture. They form on the nape of the neck, back, waist, and back of the limbs when lying down, and on the face, chest, stomach, and front of the limbs when prone. If the blood is highly fluid, they may also appear on the sides of the body, but not in areas that are under pressure. For example, if a person dies while lying on a cobblestone street, the only areas where the body is compressed by the cobblestones are the spots. Secondly, the chytrid is usually dark red in color because tissue respiration continues after death, but the CO2Hb formed in the blood is not being expelled. However, the color of the shiban can change depending on the cause of death. If the victim died in a cold place or was left in a cold place after death, or if the cause of death was drowning, carbon monoxide, or cyanide poisoning, the cyanotic color will be bright red. If the cause of death is potassium chlorate or nitrous acid poisoning, the cyanotic color is brown due to the formation of methemoglobin. If the cause of death is hydrogen sulfide gas poisoning, the color of the shiban turns green due to the formation of methemoglobin sulfide. These color changes are an important factor in estimating the cause of death and, in some cases, provide clues to the crime. Third, the chivan appears 12 hours after death and is fully formed between 6 and 12 hours later. Up until 12 to 24 hours, moving the body will cause the blood to move elsewhere and form a new shiban, but after 24 hours, the blood becomes immobilized and the shiban’s position does not change even if the body is moved. Finally, the intensity of the spots is usually an important indicator of the time since death. Initially, the spots are only on the surface of the skin, and they deepen over time to become fixed spots that do not change color when pressed on the skin after 12 hours. These characteristics allow forensic scientists to estimate the time and place of death, and can be used to determine if the body was moved or in a certain position at the time of death. This is an important clue in criminal investigations and can be crucial in determining the cause of death.
When the heart stops beating, blood stops circulating and pools in the veins or capillaries, so you can estimate the time of death by looking at the spots, which appear 12 hours after death and are fully formed 6 to 12 hours later. From 12 to 24 hours, if you move the body, the blood will move elsewhere and new spots will form, but after 24 hours, the blood is immobilized and the location of the spots will not change even if you move the body.
The second type of stiffness, also known as corpse stiffness, is the stiffening of the body’s muscles after death. As the muscles stiffen and the body stiffens, the position and intensity of the stiffening can be used to estimate the time since death. Stiffening is an important indicator for tracking the passage of time after death, and it can be used to accurately estimate the time of death. First, the stiffness is used to estimate the time since death by looking at where the stiffness started and progressed. Stiffening begins in the facial muscles and progresses sequentially from the jaw to the neck, arms, and legs, with the body being very rigid at full stiffening. Three to four hours after death, the facial muscles begin to stiffen, and by 12 hours, the entire body is stiffened and the body is completely rigid. This state of rigor mortis lasts for about 18 to 36 hours, after which the muscles relax and the body returns to a relaxed state. This process can vary somewhat depending on environmental factors, temperature, etc. For example, at higher temperatures, stiffening occurs more quickly, while at lower temperatures, stiffening occurs more slowly. Therefore, by analyzing the degree and location of decomposition, forensic scientists can more accurately estimate the time of death, which is crucial in criminal and accident investigations. Second, the intensity of the stroke is an important predictor of the time elapsed since death. Initially, the stiffness is relatively weak, but over time, the muscles become more rigid, and after 12 hours, the entire body is rigid. This state lasts for about 18 to 36 hours, after which the body begins to relax again. Finally, the loosening of the body cavity provides a clue to more accurately estimate the time since death. Generally, decortication begins at the bottom of the body and progresses to the top, a process that takes about 24 to 48 hours. This process of decomposition provides important clues about the time of death and is one of the key methods used by forensic scientists to analyze the condition of a body. In addition, the intensity and location of the decomposition can be used to estimate the circumstances of death and the body’s posture. For example, if the strength of a body’s cavity is inconsistent with the condition in which it was found, it is possible that the body was moved after death. Stiffness is not just an indication of postmortem stiffness; it can be an important key to deciphering the cause and time of death, as well as the full story of the event.
Another corpse phenomenon is hypothermia, which is the gradual decrease in body temperature after a person dies. After death, an organism with a normal body temperature loses the ability to produce heat, and its body temperature gradually decreases to match the temperature of the environment. Body temperature decline plays a crucial role in estimating the time of death, allowing forensic scientists to more accurately determine the time of death. Body temperature begins to decline 23 hours after death, dropping one to two degrees in the first hour and then gradually slowing down over time. This can vary depending on the temperature of the environment, the condition of the body, and other variables, and analyzing the temperature decline to account for these variables can be an important clue in solving a case. The difference between the ambient temperature and the body’s temperature can usually be used to estimate the time since death.
It’s natural for people to die. However, when a person dies in an unexplained manner, the people around them may question the death and want to find out why. Death is inevitable for all of us, but when the process is unclear or unusual, we naturally want to find out why. It’s an instinctive human response, and it’s also a social and ethical responsibility to try to uncover the truth about death. This responsibility is what makes forensic science so important, and forensic scientists work tirelessly to uncover the truth about death. Forensic science is more than just the application of scientific knowledge; it plays an important role in realizing social justice and uncovering wrongful deaths.
