Understanding Human Decomposition to aid Crime Investigations

Yearly, around 400 Swedish search rescue operations targeting people reported missing in potentially life threatening circumstances are carried out. In 11% of the cases the missing is found deceased, often outdoors in an advanced state of  decomposition. Furthermore, corpses that remain unidentified due to severe decompositional changes are reported on a yearly basis.

Elucidating the circumstances of death is paramount in death investigations (especially if the disappearance is believed to be the consequence of a criminal act) but can be complicated due to the prolonged postmortem period.

As the decomposition process is highly variable and regional, national decomposition data is essential to develop methods for time-since-death-estimations and for reconstructions of events surrounding death.

The aim of this interdisciplinary project is therefore to collect and analyze retrospective data on Swedish outdoor human decomposition in different contexts (surface, hanged, buried, and submerged).

Subsequently, methods and tools will be developed that can aid forensic search efforts, estimation of the time-since-death, and recognition of death caused by foul play. Quantitative national data from the National Board of Forensic Medicine and climate data from SMHI will be analyzed.

The results and deliverables are designed to advance a knowledge based forensic practice in Swedish fatality events such as single- and mass fatalities in cases of accidents, crime, terrorism, war.