Postmortem Changes and Estimating the Postmortem Interval

Unravelling the dispersal dynamics and ecological drivers of the African swine fever outbreak in Belgium

“…according to macroscopic criteria related to the level of decomposition (Brooks & Sutton, 2018). For the first stages of post-mortem process, we presume that the estimated dates of death are reliable because criteria on fresh carcasses and those in early decomposition are easier to interpret.…”

Post-Mortem Dental Profile as a Powerful Tool in Animal Forensic Investigations—A Review

“…The post-mortem interval (also known as the time since death ) is the time between the death of an animal and the discovery of the body [ 208 ]. Knowing the time since death is essential in the investigation of human deaths, as well as in animal forensic investigations [ 209 , 210 ]. Various reasons have been proposed for estimating the post-mortem interval in animals: (i) inclusion or exclusion of individuals from a group of suspects and corroborating witness testimony [ 209 ]; (ii) differentiation of single or continuous episodes with animals [ 208 , 211 ]; (iii) identification of incidents of hunting out of season, poaching, negligent transport of animals or abuse of companion animals [ 208 , 211 ]; and (iv) application of legal deadlines (e.g., disposal of animal carcasses) [ 208 , 211 ].…”

“…Various reasons have been proposed for estimating the post-mortem interval in animals: (i) inclusion or exclusion of individuals from a group of suspects and corroborating witness testimony [ 209 ]; (ii) differentiation of single or continuous episodes with animals [ 208 , 211 ]; (iii) identification of incidents of hunting out of season, poaching, negligent transport of animals or abuse of companion animals [ 208 , 211 ]; and (iv) application of legal deadlines (e.g., disposal of animal carcasses) [ 208 , 211 ]. In human forensic medicine, the study of the post-mortem interval is one of the most popular topics; however, in veterinary forensics, the number of studies is extremely limited [ 208 , 209 , 210 , 211 ]. Researchers must face a deficiency in the development of methodologies for a large number of species and, therefore, the obligation to apply methods developed in humans, lacking the appropriate validation to be applied in crimes against animals [ 209 , 210 , 212 ].…”

“…In human forensic medicine, the study of the post-mortem interval is one of the most popular topics; however, in veterinary forensics, the number of studies is extremely limited [ 208 , 209 , 210 , 211 ]. Researchers must face a deficiency in the development of methodologies for a large number of species and, therefore, the obligation to apply methods developed in humans, lacking the appropriate validation to be applied in crimes against animals [ 209 , 210 , 212 ].…”

“…The most used methods of relevance to forensic veterinary pathology for estimating the post-mortem interval in animals’ dead bodies are mainly based on temperature changes, muscular stiffening (also called rigor mortis ), ocular changes, cadaveric lividity ( livor mortis ), decomposition processes, and entomology [ 210 , 212 , 213 , 214 ]. In the case of studies conducted on animal dentition, there is a limited amount of research based on morphological, histological, or molecular analysis [ 215 ].…”