ABSTRACT
The current best method to estimate postmortem interval (PMI) of human remains or their surrogates is forensic entomology (Reibe et al. 2010; Brown et al. 2012; Magni et al. 2012; Richards et al. 2012). However, the earliest recorded method for estimating early PMI of human remains was a rate-of-change method based on the most easily observed postmortem changes. The cooling of the body after death (algor mortis), the gradual stiffening of the body (rigor mortis), and xed pooling of the blood resulting in discoloration of the lower portions of the body (livor mortis) could all be easily assessed. Decomposition of a cadaver is a complex process that begins immediately following death and proceeds beyond the time of skeletonization. Decomposition can be broken down into two major stages; the rst stage, soft tissue decomposition, is caused by autolysis and putrefaction. Autolysis is the digestion of tissue by cellular enzymes and digestive processes normally present in
CONTENTS
23.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 283 23.2 Chemistry and Entomology ..................................................................................................284 23.3 Soil Chemistry in the Cadaver Decomposition Island .........................................................285 23.4 Estimating Postmortem Interval Using Soil Chemistry .......................................................286
