What are the Visual Evidence of Decomposition?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Body Color: After the victim dies, circulation of blood through the arteries and veins ceases. As the body settles, color in the lips and nails disappears as the blood settles into the lower capillaries of the body.
Change in Eyes: The eyes are the most sensitive part of the human body and, in death, do not react to light, touching, or pressure.
Temperature of the Body: Even after death, there may not be a loss of body heat because the body will tend to adapt to the temperature of its environment. The rate of cooling can, however, be a primary determinant as to the time of death.
Rigor Mortis: This is the process of stiffening, or the contraction of body muscles after vital functions cease—is generally considered a poor indicator of time of death.
Postmortem Lividity: As indicated earlier, when a body’s vital functions cease, blood settles to the bottom side of the body because of gravity. A purplish lividity stain forms on the skin of the body closest to the surface on which it is lying
Postmortem lividity may appear anywhere between one-half hour to four hours after death. It is sometimes valuable in determining whether or not a body has been moved, depending on the state of the lividity.