Also known as: Livor mortis or postmortem lividity or hypostasis
To see a body with Livor mortis, click here. (It's not a gruesome picture - no face shown - but don't say I didn't warn you.)
What is it?
It's when the blood settles in the lower part of the body, causing a purplish red discoloration of the skin. The heart is no longer agitating the blood, heavy red blood cells sink through the serum by action of gravity. It can also be used by forensic investigators to determine whether or not a body has been moved (for instance, if the body is found lying face down but the pooling is present on the deceased’s back, investigators can determine that the body was originally positioned face up).Where does it not occur?
This discoloration does not occur in the areas of the body that are in contact with the ground or another object, as the capillaries are compressed.When does it occur?
Livor mortis starts 20 minutes to 3 hours after death and is congealed in the capillaries in 4 to 5 hours. Maximum lividity occurs within 6-12 hours. The blood pools into the interstitial tissues of the body. Only up to the first six hours of death can lividity be altered by moving the body. After the six hour mark lividity is fixed as blood vessels begin to break down within the body.What can affect lividity?
Exceptions to these aforementioned colors can be important forensic clues to the cause of death.- For example, in carbon monoxide poisoning, lividity can be cherry red in color.
- When a compound called methaemoglobin forms in the blood, as occurs in exposure to lethal concentrations of potassium chlorate, nitrates, and aniline, lividity tends to be a dark, chocolate-like brown color.
- Death due to intense cold (hypothermia) or the refrigeration of a recently deceased body will produce a bright pink lividity. The latter color can also be produced if the area of the body was covered by wet clothing.
Sources: About Autopsy (picture of dead body)
Wikipedia (Picture of cadaver)
Explore Forensics (UK)
World of Forensic Science
Wow! I now know where to come for my Forensic Science information! Do you do guest blogging? We're created a blog as a writers workshop, this would be a cool subject. I'm going to link the site to this post!
ReplyDeleteI love your posting comment about refreshing the screen. I have done that before! lol
ReplyDeleteI skipped the photo, but found the info fascinating. Now I’m trying to figure out how to work one of the exceptions into my non-murder mystery manuscript.
ReplyDeleteClarissa - Thanks, as always. What I like about this particular post is that it's a good reminder of how a sleuth can poke a hole in a mistaken theory of a crime (e.g. A victim may have been found in a certain position, but lay for a certain amount of time somewhere else, in another position). Very useful stuff!!
ReplyDeleteA one stop clearing house for information on death! In addition to the great service you are providing, this stuff is very interesting as well...
ReplyDeletethanks for that Clarissa!
Thanks, guys, I'm glad you didn't find it too morbid.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Judy, take what you want from the site. I don't mind.
CD
I always learn so much from your forensics posts. It's making me want to buy books on the subject! I didn't know about discoloration not occuring in the part of the body in contact with the ground, but it does make sense.
ReplyDeleteI'm just about to eat dinner! But some kind of grim fascination kept me reading - interesting!
ReplyDeleteThis is very informative. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes you guessed right I did not click on the photo. You are kind of inspiring me to write a new story hmmmnnn maybe that will be my NaNoWriMo story.
ReplyDeleteThanx 4 d post
This is just such cool stuff, Clarissa!
ReplyDeleteoh, Clarissa, I really hope I'll never need this information in my real life :)))
ReplyDeleteOh I'm so writing fluffy romance a la Barbara Cartland. I want rainbows and unicorns and elves. Elves are nice aren't they?!?!
ReplyDeleteGood grief Clarrisa - that pic - oh my goodness! LOL!! Oh wow.
Thank you!! Take care
x
I hadn't even heard of this. It's so amazing all the things we can determine by just know a few facts.
ReplyDeleteAnother extremely useful post, Clarissa! You're such a vault of information:)
ReplyDeleteNo trust fall around here with those kind of details! Castle could take a few lessons, I think ;)
ReplyDeleteVery helpful for the rewrite of my mystery WIP!
ReplyDeleteYour 'process of being really angry' cracked me up!
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting and informative post.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
I'm familiar with the term and the concept. But I didn't know the details about the different colors. Great information.
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
ReplyDeleteYour sentence to my post was great Clarissa. Thank you for contributing.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Nancy, glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteHey-cool! another detail I could include in my Cozy! I'd have to read up though, as the body gets moved... but it's not in the first spot long at all I may use this as a reason for an original mistake on time of death at some point.
ReplyDeleteAll this stuff you are sharing on forensics is super helpful!
I'm still on the Nano fence. I usually do Nano, but this year I might use the time to revise a first draft. Tough call tho, cause I love the free creativity aspect of Nano.
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Haha, I think I commented on the wrong post! This one's brilliant too, tho. The details are so important, and I really appreciate you going through this for us.
ReplyDelete