NCJ Number
188965
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2001 Pages: 609-614
Date Published
May 2001
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study presents preliminary results of an experimental model of postmortem adipocere formation using liquid chromatography.
Abstract
The accurate determination of postmortem interval (PMI) using the formation of adipocere presents a significant challenge to forensic scientists interested in determining time of death; previous approaches have been mainly qualitative, focusing on the later stages of degradation processes. This experiment submerged three pig cadavers in distilled water, chlorinated water, and saline water. Fresh specimens resulting from the degradation in the subcutaneous fat were obtained from the pigs at 2-week intervals for a period of 10 weeks, and were subjected to chromatographic analysis. By coordinating the ratio of the disappearance of hydrolyzed fatty acids with the formation of hydroxystearic and oxostearic acids after death, a simple, quantitative analytical method was developed for determining PMI. The chemistry of adipocere formation indicated that adipocere can be formed only a few hours after death and the process continues until the saturation of oleic acid degradation after several weeks. Different time courses were obtained for cadavers immersed in the three types of water. This work does not claim to have solved the time-since-death problem. But it may be an approach that has not been adequately explored. Figures, table, references