Post-Mortem Injuries

Jonathan.Bentz · Feb 11, 2012

Right, so I don't know if there's any M.E.s or forensic science specialists on here, so I thought I'd throw this up here and cross my fingers.

I'm working on a mystery novel where the killer plays a game with his victims before hanging them. The first victim has a message carved into her back after she's dead, and I'm just wondering how the way a body enters rigor-mortise would affect the words, if at all. Would they stretch, would they shrink, would they pucker in or out, etc.

While it only occurs on the first victim (for the time being) I like trying to be precise. Any help would be great.

ironmikezero · Feb 11, 2012

Not a forensic pathologist, but have benefited from practical experience... For your purposes, wounds inflicted post-mortem will remain generally intact until tissue decomposition of the area ensues. The onset and subsequent decline of rigor mortis will have minimal effect. Here's a link...

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/biochemistry/a/aa061903a.htm

Jonathan.Bentz · Feb 11, 2012

Thanks for the info and link. For a moment, I thought I'd actually screwed up when I said post-mortem, but then I realized the way my antagonist portrays the bodies is not the manner which he kills them in. So the post-mortem info and the link is good. Thanks again for the info and link. They helped with not only this one, but also another story in the same series, though inadvertently.

jclarkdawe · Feb 11, 2012

Iron Mike is right, especially for the back. Post-mortem lividity, if the back is the lowest point, would result in some seepage. Even once bloating commences, the back is relatively stable. Carving in the stomach, as bloating commences, would produce some significant and interesting results, depending on how far through the skin and muscle tissue you carve.

Note that although post-mortem injuries used to provide a little bit of bafflement to the police, that's not the case any longer. Carving done after the heart has stopped beating will be obvious, and especially if it's done an hour or more after death.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Post-Mortem Injuries

Jonathan.Bentz

ironmikezero

practical experience, FTW

Jonathan.Bentz

jclarkdawe

Feeling lucky, Query?