Subaerial Decomposition of Small-Sized Remains in The Netherlands: Important Findings Regarding the PMI of a Four-Year Taphonomic Study

Biology · 3 authors, 3 centres

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TL;DR

Cadavers were divided into two weight categories (800–2700 g and 4230–10,500 g), with four piglets placed per season (two per weight class), totaling 32 per category.

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Cadavers were divided into two weight categories (800–2700 g and 4230–10,500 g), with four piglets placed per season (two per weight class), totaling 32 per category. Total Body Score method, with photographic documentation and monitoring of environmental variables including temperature, precipitation, humidity, and insect activity.

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other

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preclinical research

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10525113

Subaerial Decomposition of Small-Sized Remains in The Netherlands: Important Findings Regarding the PMI of a Four-Year Taphonomic Study

Biology

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ABSTRACT

Abstract Simple Summary Understanding changes that occur after death, or post-mortem changes, based on decomposition, is very important to relate them to a post-mortem interval (PMI), the time elapsed between the moment of death and discovery of a body. Most studies on decomposition focus on large cadavers, leaving a knowledge gap for small cadavers, which are representative for infants and subadults. To fill this knowledge gap, a season-based subaerial outdoor decomposition study was conducted with small pig cadavers at the Forensic Anthropological Outdoor Research Facility located in Den Ham, The Netherlands, over a period of 4 years. This study revealed important findings related to a deviating decomposition rate during winter and the subsequent spring, reproducibility, the effect of body weight, post-mortem movement, the effect of heavy rainfall on insect activity, delayed bloating, the interaction of different insect species, and invertebrate activity. Abstract Studying post-mortem changes based on signs of decomposition (e.g., using scoring models) is one of the methods used in scientific studies to relate observable changes to the post-mortem interval (PMI). The majority of the studies on cadaver decomposition are based on large cadavers. There is limited literature on the decomposition pattern and rate of small cadavers, even though it is at least as important to be able to estimate the PMI for infants and subadults. Therefore, it is crucial to acquire knowledge of the decomposition process of child-sized remains. To fill this knowledge gap, a season-based subaerial outdoor decomposition study was conducted with small pig cadavers at the Forensic Anthropological Outdoor Research Facility located in Den Ham, The Netherlands, over a period of 4 years. Den Ham is located in the eastern part of the Netherlands, close to the German border, and has a temperate maritime climate, with a Cfb classification according to the Köppen–Geiger system. Salient findings were acquired during the decomposition study, specifically regarding a deviating decomposition rate during winter and the subsequent spring, reproducibility, the effect of body weight, post-mortem movement, the effect of heavy rainfall on insect activity, delayed bloating, the interaction of different insect species, and invertebrate activity. This article includes a systemic review of the results obtained during this four-year decomposition study and discusses the impact of the findings on the estimation of the PMI. Keywords: forensic taphonomy, seasonal decomposition, small-sized piglets, post-mortem interval, subaerial decomposition, The Netherlands

CITATION EXPORT

Iris Sluis, Wilma Duijst, Tristan Krap. Subaerial Decomposition of Small-Sized Remains in The Netherlands: Important Findings Regarding the PMI of a Four-Year Taphonomic Study. Biology. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12091164

AUTHORS

3 · 3 CENTRES

Iris Sluis, Wilma Duijst, Tristan Krap

1Faculty of Law and Criminology, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6, 6211 LK Maastricht, The Netherlands; [email protected] (W.D.); [email protected] (T.K.)
2Forensic Laboratory Research, University of Applied Sciences Van Hall Larenstein, Agora 1, 8934 CJ Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
3GGD IJsselland, Zeven Alleetjes 1, 8011 CV Zwolle, The Netherlands