Post-Mortem Interval Estimation in Forensic Sciences

The determination of the time since death (post-mortem interval, PMI) is central to criminal investigations and relies on a range of physical, chemical and biological indicators. Traditional approaches include the observation of body cooling (algor mortis), muscle stiffening (rigor mortis) and blood pooling (livor mortis), as well as entomological and environmental assessments. However, such methods often suffer from environmental dependencies, inter-individual variability and limited accuracy beyond early postmortem periods. Recent advances focus on the systematic analysis of molecular degradation patterns—encompassing proteins, nucleic acids, metabolites and microbial communities—to establish quantifiable and reproducible markers of decomposition. High-throughput techniques such as mass spectrometry, spectroscopic analyses and advanced sequencing are revealing time-dependent biochemical and microbiological signatures. These developments promise to extend reliable PMI estimation across broader postmortem intervals and diverse environmental conditions, enhancing the precision and defensibility of forensic timelines.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Studies employing spectroscopic and imaging modalities have demonstrated the feasibility of non-invasive PMI estimation. One investigation applied Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to pericardial fluid samples, identifying spectral features correlated with key biochemical changes over time and developing chemometric models that predict PMI with high accuracy in animal models. Another study utilised portable optical coherence tomography to measure corneal thickness dynamics postmortem, revealing reproducible temporal patterns in tissue hydration and structural alterations. These approaches underline the potential of real-time, field-deployable techniques to capture decomposition markers without invasive sampling.

Post-Mortem Interval Estimation in Forensic Sciences publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in post-mortem interval estimation in forensic sciences across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Algor mortis: The progressive cooling of the body toward ambient temperature following death.

Rigor mortis: Postmortem stiffening of muscles due to biochemical changes in muscle fibres.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy: A method that collects infrared spectra to identify molecular vibrations and chemical composition.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT): A non-invasive imaging technique that uses light waves to capture micrometre-scale tissue structure.

Proteomics: The large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and postmortem degradation patterns.

Metabolomics: The comprehensive analysis of small-molecule metabolites present within biological samples over time.

Microbiome: The community of microorganisms living on or within a host, whose composition changes during decomposition.

References

1. Application of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with chemometrics on postmortem interval estimation based on pericardial fluids. Scientific Reports (2017).
2. Post-Mortem Corneal Thickness Measurements with a Portable Optical Coherence Tomography System: a Reliability Study. Scientific Reports (2016).
3. Forensic Proteomics for the Discovery of New post mortem Interval Biomarkers: A Preliminary Study. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
4. Postmortem metabolomics as a high-throughput cause-of-death screening tool for human death investigations. iScience (2024).
5. The Future Is Now: Unraveling the Expanding Potential of Human (Necro)Microbiome in Forensic Investigations. Microorganisms (2023).