Estimation of Death Time

Death time is an issue that is generally requested to be determined by the prosecution offices that request autopsies. The determination of the time of death may be necessary for the heirs to carry out some legal actions and also, from a forensic point of view, to enlighten the case. Although its determination is very important, there is no known scientific method by which the exact time of death can be determined. Generally, the ambient conditions where the corpse is found, the environmental temperatures, and similar factors are evaluated, and the time interval is estimated by considering these factors according to the level of algor mortis, livor mortis, rigor mortis, signs of decomposition or skeletonization. The estimated death time is then reflected in the autopsy report. In this section, we aim to explain in detail how we make these estimations according to the time intervals and environmental conditions, as well as to review the literature in this area.