Estimation of Time since Death from Rigor Mortis, Postmortem Staining, and Decomposition: An Autopsy-Based Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Tripura

Background: Thanatology is the branch of science which deals with all the aspects of death.Determining the time of death is a crucial aspect of forensic investigations.The present study aimed to estimate the time since death from rigor mortis, postmortem staining and decomposition.Methods: Mortuary-based prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 94 deceased autopsied at the Mortuary of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, AGMC & GBP Hospital for three months (April-June 2024).Statistics were performed accordingly by using IBM SPSS, version 25.Results: The post-mortem staining was fully established and fixed in all cases within a time frame of 06 to 24 hours after death.Rigor mortis was observed throughout the entire body in all instances investigated during a time frame of 03 to 24 hours following death.Alterations in color due to decomposition were observed within a time frame of 24 to 36 hours in the iliac fossae, with a green hue present in 80% of instances.After 36 hours, the entire body exhibited a greenish-black color in 100% of cases. Conclusion:The current study has determined that Rigor mortis, Post-mortem staining, and decomposition changes in deceased bodies are crucial for accurately estimating the range of time since death.