Decomposition Rate and Pattern in Hanging Pigs

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Journal of Forensic Sciences

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Abstract

© 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Accurate prediction of the postmortem interval requires an understanding of the decomposition process and the factors acting upon it. A controlled experiment, over 60 days at an outdoor site in the northwest of England, used 20 freshly killed pigs (Sus scrofa) as human analogues to study decomposition rate and pattern. Ten pigs were hung off the ground and ten placed on the surface. Observed differences in the decomposition pattern required a new decomposition scoring scale to be produced for the hanging pigs to enable comparisons with the surface pigs. The difference in the rate of decomposition between hanging and surface pigs was statistically significant (p = 0.001). Hanging pigs reached advanced decomposition stages sooner, but lagged behind during the early stages. This delay is believed to result from lower variety and quantity of insects, due to restricted beetle access to the aerial carcass, and/or writhing maggots falling from the carcass.

ISSN

0022-1198

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing Inc.

Volume

60

Issue

5

First Page

1155

Last Page

1163

Disciplines

Life Sciences

Keywords

Accumulated degree days, Decomposition, Forensic anthropology, Forensic science, Hanging, Pig carcasses, Postmortem interval

Scopus ID

84941190537

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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