Comparative study of early postmortem changes in Sus scrofa domestica models in the Savannah Region of Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

Post-mortem changes could be separated into early post-mortem changes which include algor mortis, rigor mortis, and livor mortis, and late stages of decomposition characterized by putrefaction. There is limited understanding of how the interplay between body size, mode of death, and depositional environment influences the early postmortem changes in cadavers. Therefore, this study was aimed at comparing early post-mortem changes using Sus scrofa domestica models based on body size, mode of death, and depositional environment. Twelve white male pigs, divided into juvenile (20-25 kg, ±4 months) and adult (45-50 kg, ±8 months) groups, were sacrificed using three modes of death: poisoning, sharp force trauma, and blunt force trauma, and placed in cages and suspended by ropes. Observations, including daily visible decomposition changes, climatic data, temperature changes, and Total Body Score (TBS), were recorded over 8 days. Line graphs and bar charts were used to determine the relationship between decomposition and the independent variables, which include atmospheric temperature, humidity, wind speed and duration of decomposition. Findings from the study showed that factors such as weight or size of the carcass affects the rate of decomposition as well as other early post mortem changes. Although there are extensive forensic taphonomic studies conducted to study how different variables affecting decomposition process, the correlation between different factors is yet to be uncovered in detail.