Factors that influence the estimation of post mortem interval in a Guinea forest-savannah vegetation of Nigeria

Abstract

Post mortem interval refers to the time taken for a body (carcass) to completely decay; and this begins immediately at death. This timeline is affected by several factors but especially climatic factors. This means that post mortem interval varies from one climate or region to another. Therefore, to determine the factors that affect post mortem interval in the Guinea forest-savannah vegetation of Nigeria, a decomposition study was carried out using domestic pigs. Data were collected from the four animals and scored according to the Total Body Score (TBS) scale. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between decomposition and the independent variables, which include atmospheric temperature, humidity, soil temperature, soil salinity, precipitation, and duration of decomposition. Findings from the study showed that the factors that statistically (P < .05) influenced the rate of decomposition are atmospheric temperature, humidity and duration of decomposition. The prediction models for time and rate of decomposition have high goodness of fit, and also reliable. Cadaver decomposition island (CDI) is also a useful tool in estimating decomposition timeline in the Guinea forest-savannah vegetation of Nigeria.

Keywords

• Cadaver decomposition island
• Crime investigation
• Factors of decomposition
• Forensic taphonomy
• Post mortem interval estimation