Name ______Rigor Mortis, , Oh my 1. What is ? ______2. What causes rigor mortis? ______3. What is algor mortis? ______4. Why is it useful to know time of ? ______5. What is livor mortis? ______6. What can livor mortis tell investigators? ______

Identify how the following factors affect rigor and/or algor mortis. factor rigor mortis algor mortis cold ambient temperature obesity enclosed area fever elderly windy layers of clothing exercise prior to demise

7. What other factors can you think of that would affect rigor mortis or algor mortis? ______8. If the victim is sitting in a chair with the right side of his face and his forearms on a table, what would happen in terms of livor mortis? ______9. If the same victim is found 50 hours later lying on his back, how can investigators use livor mortis to tell that the body was moved after death? ______

Name ______Calculating Time of Death Using Algor Mortis

Average body Fahrenheit Celsius Temperature loss after death per hour temperature 98.6°F 37°C First 12 hours 1.4°F 0.78°C After 12 hours 0.7°F 0.39°C

Formulas temperature loss # hours= Temperature loss = constant loss rate x #hours constant loss rate

Example: What is the temperature loss for someone who has been dead for 12 hours? Temperature loss = constant loss rate x # hours

°F °C

What is the temperature of the body found in this example?

°F °C

Practice Problems For each problem, write the formula you are using, then show your work. Circle your answer. Unless specified, all temperatures should be in Celsius. 1. What is the temperature loss for a body who has been dead for 8 hours?

2. At the time a body was found, the body temperature was 32°C. How long ago did this person die? (remember to find temperature loss first)

If the body was found at 12 noon, about what time did this person die?

3. A dead body was found and the internal temperature was found to be 22°C. a. Calculate the total temperature lost.

b. Calculate the temperature lost for the first 12 hours.

c. Calculate the remaining temperature loss. (Subtract temperature lost – temperature lost first 12 hours)

d. Calculate the number of hours after the initial 12 hours. (Use the answer from the previous question for temperature loss after 12 hours and the after 12 hours constant loss rate.)

e. Calculate total time of death.

4. A dead body was found at 10 pm. The internal body temperature was 20°C. What was the time of death?