Algor Mortem Lab Report

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The estimation of the time of death, which can also be known as postmortem interval (PMI), has significant importance for police officers in their investigation when arriving to a crime scene. Especially when the scene is of a questionable death. In being in the forensic science field, there needs to be a precise determination of a victim’s time of death, which helps the investigation in narrowing a time frame and on narrowing range of suspects that the victim could be associated to during the certain time period. In discover the victims time since death, it saves precious time and resources in the critical early stage of the investigation. Many changes begin to take place in the body immediately or shortly after the death of an individual.…show more content…
This process is when the heat and circulation with inside the body stops. This process is different for each victim and doesn’t occur at the same rate throughout the body. When Algor Mortis begins, a temperature gradient develops from the surface to the core of any part of the victim’s body. There is an exchange of heat between the core and surface of the body from the movement of conduction. During the Algor Mortis stage, there is a low rate of heat passing inside the body, it takes some time for the heat to be traveled to the deeper layers to the more surface layers of the skin, until finally, and the temperature gradient reaches to the core. Conductive heat exchange occurs due to the temperature difference between the body and surroundings. An example of surrounding could be the clothing the victim is wearing, if the body is in water, or the humidity in the…show more content…
The body is stiffen because there is a loss of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) from the muscles in the body. Adenosine Triphosphate is the element that allows energy to flow to the muscles and help them work properly. Without this energy flow, the muscles become inflexible. During Rigor Mortis, the process arises throughout the entire body at the same time and rate but the body's smaller muscles, which can be consist of the face, neck, arms and shoulders are affected first. After the smaller muscles are affected, then the following the larger muscles are affected throughout the rest of the body. Rigor Mortis normally appears within the body around two hours after the deceased has passed away. Once all the muscles has taken place in the Rigid Stage, the body is completely stiff anything from eight to twelve hours. This fixed state lasts for up to another eighteen hours. Rigor Mortis is a good at indicating time of death because this stage is visible within the first thirty-six to forty-eight hours after death, and after that time period it leaves the

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