Post-mortem interval

This article is about forensic science. For Rosicrucian death practices, see Rosicrucian Fellowship § Teachings.
Stages of death
  1. Pallor mortis
  2. Livor mortis
  3. Algor mortis
  4. Rigor mortis
  5. Putrefaction
  6. Decomposition
  7. Skeletonization
  8. Fossilization
Timeline of postmortem changes.
Figure 1. Post-mortem phenomena to estimate the time of death.

The post-mortem interval (PMI) is the time that has elapsed since an individual's death.[1] When the time of death is not known, the interval may be estimated, and so an approximate time of death established. Postmortem interval estimations can range from hours, to days or even years depending on the type of evidence present.[2] There are standard medical and scientific techniques supporting such an estimation.[3]

  1. ^ Jason H. Byrd; James L. Castner, eds. (2009). Forensic entomology: the utility of arthropods in legal investigations (2nd ed.). Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-8493-9215-3. OCLC 144565878.
  2. ^ Pokines, James; Symes, Steven A., eds. (2013-10-08). Manual of Forensic Taphonomy. doi:10.1201/b15424. ISBN 9781439878439. S2CID 132436926.
  3. ^ Simmons, Tal (2017-02-10), "Post-Mortem Interval Estimation: an Overview of Techniques", Taphonomy of Human Remains: Forensic Analysis of the Dead and the Depositional Environment, Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 134–142, doi:10.1002/9781118953358.ch10, ISBN 9781118953358