Stage 3: Rigor Mortis

October 1, 2015 — 6 Comments

Corpse in morgue displays signs of Rigor Mortis

The third stage of decomposition known as “Rigor Mortis” translates to “stiffness” [rigor] “of death” [mortis]. The stiffness in a body during the phase of Rigor Mortis is caused by a build up of lactic acid which causes chemical changes within muscles. In life, lactic acid, also known as “milk acid” plays various roles in a body’s biochemical process. The myosin and actin (proteins involved in muscle movement) in the body then begin to harden, causing all muscles in the body to harden for a period of time, as well. At the time of death, “primary flaccidity” occurs and Rigor Mortis begins within 2-6 hours of death, starting with the eyelids, neck and jaw before spreading throughout the rest of the body over the following 4-6 hours. Sometimes all the hardening and contracting of muscles can cause an involuntary postmortem ejaculation in a male corpse. The exact onset and rate of completion of this stage is determined by many factors including age, gender, body type and muscle build; For instance, Rigor Mortis may not be perceivable in infants and children who lack muscle mass. Rigor Mortis may develop more quickly if cause of death is an infection, terminal seizure, electrocution or if the deceased has recently engaged in strenuous exercise or had a higher than average body temperature caused by fever, drugs or intoxication. Generally, 36-48 hours after death “secondary flaccidity” occurs when bacteria in the body begins eating away at the deceased from the inside out, causing the body to end Rigor Mortis and loosen again as muscle tissue begins to deteriorate. Sometimes, it can take 72 hours for the body to reach secondary flaccidity. In a warm environment, Rigor Mortis tends to dissipate sooner than average, whereas in a cold climate, the effects may persist longer.
Check out the NEW BOOK by The Post-Mortem Post’s Head Writer ‘Horrible History: Mass Suicides’ AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon Kindle!

Find out what happens prior to Rigor Mortis, Stage 1: Pallor Mortis and Stage 2: Algor Mortis and after Stage 4: Livor Mortis

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like Everybody Poops: The Post-Mortem Edition and Demystifying the Process of Dying

Stage 6: Decomposition

October 1, 2015 — 4 Comments

Decomposing corpse from Sally Mann’s series, ‘Body Farm’

In the 6th stage of decomposition, true decomposition or “biotic decomposition”, takes place. Biotic decomposition is breakdown of the body’s components into smaller and smaller components until the organic body is gone. This process is caused by living organisms, usually microorganisms. When the body is broken down by other, faster means such as cremation, alkaline hydrolysis/resomation, promessa, or other physical/chemical process, it is refered to as “abiotic decomposition”. The speed and success of biotic decomposition, as with most stages of the decomposition process, relies on many factors. Generally speaking, conditions which aid in the previous stage, Putrefaction also aid in biotic decomposition. The amount of bacteria in the body at time of death and ability to produce more bacteria postmortem plays a large role. For instance, if you eat a lot of meat, your corpse will contain and produce higher levels of bacteria than a vegan. The bodies of deceased newborns who have never been fed decompose very slowly because in most cases, they are “sterile”, or mostly void of bacteria in their system. However, if a newborn passes away but has been fed, their body tends to decompose much faster than average. If a corpse has been mutilated or obtained large, open wounds decomposition will take place more quickly because it allows easy entry for insects and microorganisms whereas clothing may slow the process. If a body is buried after beginning to decompose somewhat, it will complete more quickly than if the body was buried soon after death. Embalming will delay the process, as is its function, but if the body is left to the elements in open air with scavengers nearby to help the body breakdown, decomposition will complete very rapidly.

Decomposing corpse from Sally Mann’s series, ‘Body Farm’

Decomposition begins and ends slower in water than in open air. Warm, fresh and/or stagnant water aid slightly in the process, while cold water, salt water and/or running water slow decomposition. Deep water may cause a delay in the onset of biotic decomposition. Water contaminated by sewage will speed up the process. When in water, the skin on the hands and feet of the cadaver may become swollen and bleached. Within 2-4 days, “sleeving” becomes possible. Sleeving, also called “skin slippage”, refers to the loosening of decaying skin to the point that it will slough off in one piece, or made able to pull off as though it were a sleeve. After several weeks in the water, this skin can easily by stripped off, or sleeved, by the current or contact with objects such as rocks. Once skin slippage begins and the upper layer of epidermis has been sleeved off, it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible to obtain fingerprints in order to identify the deceased. Mold can also begin to form on a deceased body in water or a moist area, but usually only on exposed patches of skin. Generally, bodies left in water do not remain intact long due to crustaceans, fish, and water rats feeding on the corpse. “Casper’s Law”, also known as “Casper’s Ratio” suggests that if all other factors (clothing, contents of digestive system, lesions/abrasions, weather conditions, temperature, etc) is equal, bodies with free access to open air decompose twice as fast as in water, and eight times as fast as when buried.

Decomposing corpse from Sally Mann’s series, ‘Body Farm’

Find out what happens before Biotic Decomposition in Stage 1: Pallor Mortis, Stage 2: Algor Mortis, Stage 3: Rigor Mortis, Stage 4: Livor Mortis and Stage 5: Putrefaction
and in the final stage of decomposition, Stage 7: Skeletonization

Check out the NEW BOOK by The Post-Mortem Post’s Head Writer ‘Horrible History: Mass Suicides’ AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon Kindle!

See more of Sally Mann’s series Body Farm

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like: Everybody Poops: The Post-Mortem Edition, Demystifying the Process of Dying and Burying the Dead is Killing the Planet

Evidence Suggests Spontaneous Human Combustion is a Reality

June 12, 2015 — 5 Comments

The phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC) has baffled open-minded scientists for centuries. One of the earliest claims occurred prior to April 4, 1731 when details on the death of Countess Bandi of Cesena (Italy) were published. Remains of the sixty-two year old Countess were discovered by her maid the morning after her demise when she failed to emerge from her room at her usual time. All that was left of Countess Bandi was three fingers, two legs from the knee down (still wearing stockings), a charred skull (parts of which had burned away completely) and a pile of ash. A foul-smelling, greasy, yellowish fluid was found dripping from the windows in the room and evidence suggested the Countess had calmly gotten out of her bed while on fire and walked several feet before succumbing to the flames. This case is most likely one of the many false accounts of spontaneous human combustion as the Countess was well-known for lathering herself in camphor oil, a highly flammable substance. Two burned-out candles were noticed near the bed when the Countess’s body was discovered. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of blatantly false claims of SHC skeptics tend to ignore evidence which suggests it is possible and jump to the conclusion that every case was caused by the victim standing too close to a candle or falling asleep while smoking a cigarette. In the 1700s and 1800s, spontaneous human combustion was a very popular writing topic; Many famous authors including Charles Dickens and Herman Melville mentioned this mysterious cause of death in their stories. In the 1800s, the belief was that spontaneous combustion became possible when a person drank so much liquor that their body was completely saturated in alcohol, causing the person to become flammable. Those with religious inclinations believed that it was “divine retribution” and victims of SHC had angered God and been struck down with a lightning bolt. Another less-popular theory at the time was that mystical lights referred to as “will-o’-the-wisps” which were sometimes seen rising from stagnant marshes were to blame. Astoundingly, the will-o’-the-wisps theory is closest to the truth. These strange lights, often mentioned in folklore, were caused by methane gasses being released from decomposing vegetable matter underwater. Humans and animals also produce and release methane, hydrogen and phosphate through bacterial action in the digestive system. Luckily, if and when these gasses come into contact with a flame, you will not spontaneously combust; If that were the case, people would be catching fire right and left. However, diphosphane, a substance related to phosphorus, would cause a person to spontaneously combust under the right conditions. Until rather recently, it was believed that human production of diphosophane was highly unlikely. In 2000 German researcher John Emsley published his findings on spontaneous human combustion in The Shocking History of Phosphorus. In his research he found that human feces contains both phosphate and diphosphane. In incredibly rare cases, diphosphane levels could build up in a person overtime and if it were to encounter oxygen in the body, could ignite a pocket of methane and phosphate causing a person to burst into flames from the inside out. This corroborates with convincing accounts of supposed SHC in which the fire appears to originate in the stomach area. Of course, it would be incredibly rare that this would occur; Brian J. Ford’s theory of what may cause spontaneous combustion is certainly more likely. Humans naturally produce acetone, a highly flammable substance. It is used to break down fat in the body and will evaporate into the air as a person naturally burns fat through exercise or other means. It has a very distinct smell, usually sweet and fruity as was described by Don Gosnell who discovered the remains of Dr. John Irving Bentley. One major fact used by skeptics when attempting to explain away possible cases of spontaneous human combustion is that the body could not burn internally when the human body contains so much fluid; Acetone, however, mixes well with water. Brian J. Ford explains, “There is one highly flammable constituent of the body that can greatly increase in concentration… If the body’s cells are starved (which can occur during chronic illness and even during a workout at the gym), acetyl-CoA in the liver is converted into acetoacetate, which can decarboxylate into acetone. And acetone in highly flammable. A wide range of conditions can produce ketosis, in which acetone is formed, including alcoholism, high-fat low-carbohydrate dieting, diabetes and even teething.”. This makes sense considering most who supposedly parish through spontaneous combustion are alcoholics, seniors and/or over-weight. In order to prove his theory, Ford conducted an experiment in which he created scale models of humans out of pork tissue, marinated them in acetone and clothed them before igniting the models which, “Burned to ash within half an hour.”. Ford went on to describe, “The remains- a pile of smoking cinders with protruding limbs- were exactly like the photographs of human victims.”.
Check out the NEW BOOK by The Post-Mortem Post’s Head Writer ‘Horrible History: Mass Suicides’ AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon Kindle!

If you love The Post-Mortem Post, please consider contributing on Patreon.com!

If you enjoyed this article you might also like A Witness to Spontaneous Human Combustion and Other Stories of SHC, Cause of Death: Spontaneous Human Combustion and Other Stories of SHC, Survivors of Spontaneous Human Combustion, Evidence Supports Sixth Sense in Humans, Scientists Have Answered the Question ‘If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Does it Make a Sound?, Everybody Poops: The Post-Mortem Edition, Thich Quang Duc: Monk on Fire, Pray the Decay Away: Incorruptible Corpses and Other Forms of Natural Postmortem Preservation, The Zombie Cat Parasite and Children’s Memories of Death in Their Past Life

Where Are They Now? Amarjeet Sada, The World’s Youngest Serial Killer

May 4, 2015 — 7 Comments

Amarjeet Sada, World’s Youngest Serial Killer. Murdered three infants in India at the age of 8.

Amarjeet Sada (sometimes referred to as ‘Amardeep’ Sada) is the world’s youngest known serial killer, having committed three murders at the age of 8. Amarjeet was born in 1998 to an impoverished family in Begusaray, Bihar, India; His father is a laborer in the village of Musahri. In 2006 Amarjeet murdered his 6 month old cousin, the daughter of a maternal uncle. Shortly after, he murdered his own 8 month old sister. While Amarjeet’s family and some villagers were aware of the child’s involvement in these two murders, they were considered “family matters” and went unreported. In 2007 Amarjeet killed again, this time a neighbor’s 6 month old daughter named Kushboo. Kushboo’s mother, Chunchun Devi, left her daughter at the village primary school to sleep while she tended to her chores. When she returned, her daughter was gone. Villagers who knew of Amarjeet’s past murders confronted him regarding Kushboo’s disappearance. Amarjeet, seemingly proud of his actions, happily recounted the gory tale of how he killed the infant. He then led villagers to the shallow grave he had dug for Kushboo. Amarjeet told police, “Khapda de mar mar ke sura deliyay” meaning “I killed by beating her with a brick”. He told police he had laid her down in the grass before beginning to smash her face with a brick, then covered the body in grass and leaves before returning to his home. Reportedly, all three murders were conducted in this manner. It is believed he also strangled his two previous victims, which may have been the cause of death prior to beating with a brick. Unfortunately, because his first two murders went unreported and there was no official investigation into them, details remain unclear. Police say, “He [Amarjeet] said he took the children to the fields and hit them with a stone and killed them. He has been charged with the murder [of Kushboo Devi].” Amarjeet was arrested on May 30, 2007 and “spoke little but smiled a lot” when asked about the murders. While being further questioned he, “Just smiled a lot and asked for biscuits.”

Superintendent Amit Lodha, a resident of Begusarai (90 miles/145 kilometers east of Bihari, the capital of Patna) said Amarjeet Sada appeared to be a psychiatric case. He was evaluated by professionals and found to be suffering from a conduct disorder. Panta-based psychoanalyst Shamshad Hussain found that this conduct disorder causes Amardeep to behave in a sadistic manner. Due to a severe chemical imbalance in Sada’s brain, he receives a sense of gratification from inflicting injuries on others. A psychologist working on his case explained, “such aggression may be hereditary and may be caused because of great chemical upheavals in the brain.”. According to a former psychology professor at Patna University, Sada did not have a sense of right or wrong when he committed the murders due to his conduct disorder. It is believed with medication, levels of chemicals in his brain can be balanced. Ultimately, the boy was charged with murder and tried as a juvenile. Sada’s story lost steam for most of the world after that point so there is not much information available on what became of him. Although Amarjeet’s current status is “unknown”, we can assume from his graphic and proud confession, he was eventually charged with the murder. Since the boy was tried as a juvenile, in accordance to Indian law, he could not have been imprisoned any longer than three years. Due to his mental state at the time the crimes took place, it is possible he served his sentence in a psychiatric institute in lieu of a juvenile detention center. After his sentence had been served, it is also possible that his parents chose to keep him in a mental health facility; However, considering they did not seek mental health for him after either of the first two murders, it is unlikely he received more therapy than was required. Amarjeet Sada would be approximately 17 years old now (no exact date of birth available, only birth year) and more likely than not, a free young man. There are rumors he may have changed his name to ‘Samarjit’, which is common when young children commit a horrendous crime and are later rehabilitated. Hopefully Amarjeet Sada has been, and will continue to be able to manage his conduct disorder through therapy and medication and live a new life under a new name, scrutiny-free.
UPDATE: After writing this article I was contacted by Amarjeet Sada who claims he is currently living in a children’s home in India where he will remain until he is 18 years of age. No other details at this time.
Check out the NEW BOOK by The Post-Mortem Post’s Head Writer ‘Horrible History: Mass Suicides’ AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon Kindle!

Follow us on Twitter @PostMortem_post & Like The Post-Mortem Post on Facebook
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like The 100 Year Old Axe Murderer, Herb Baumeister and the Horrors of Fox Hollow, Grandmother Murders Infant Before Suicide Attempt, Infant and Mother Found Dead in Apartment by Family Member and 14 Most Violent Valentine’s Days

Pascualita: How Much is that Corpse Bride in the Window?

April 22, 2015 — 7 Comments

In downtown Chihuahua, Mexico a mannequin, which has been on display in the window at the “La Popular” bridal shop for over 75 years, is rumored to be an impeccably embalmed corpse. It is said that the original owner of the store, Pascuala Esparza, was a talented designer and seamstress. She created gorgeous gowns in her bridal boutique so of course, when her daughter, Pascualita, was to be married, Pascuala Esparza made her the dress of her dreams. Sadly, on the day of Pascualita’s wedding, she was bitten by a black widow spider and died before she could marry her intended. Pascuala was devastated by her daughter’s sudden death and, after having the body embalmed, decided to dress Pascualita in her wedding gown. She displayed her body in the window of “La Popular” on March 25, 1930 and it has remained there ever since.

This caused quite a bit of uproar from residents of Chihuahua who weren’t too thrilled knowing they would be walking past the corpse of a young woman on a regular basis. Eventually, most citizens became used to Pascualita staring at them through the window as they strolled around downtown. Som revel in the presence of this local oddity and view her as a sort of landmark which brings in a flock of tourists from Europe, South America and the United States each year. This story however, may be entirely, or at least partially legend. Many older residents of the area swear the body is truly that of the deceased Pascualita Esparza but just as many claim that shortly after the town went into an uproar over her display in the window, Pascuala made a statement that the body was not her deceased daughter. Obviously, the most logical theory is that Pascualita is a very life-like mannequin that was incredibly impressive for the time period; Perhaps Pascuala started an itty bitty rumor in an attempt to draw in customers to the store. One thing which keeps people questioning the authenticity of Pascualita is the small, lifelike and possibly decomposition related-imperfections such as the deep folds of her palm.

La Popular employee Sonia Burciaga is the lucky lady who has been bestowed with the task of changing the dress on the questionable corpse twice a week. Sonia confessed, “Everytime I go near Pascualita my hands break out in a sweat. Her hands are very realistic and she even has varicose veins on her legs. I believe she’s a real person.”

You may still be wondering how a body that has been dead and on display for over 75 rears has not begun to decompose. While the exact method of preservation in the hypothetical case of Pascualita remains a mystery, avoiding decomposition for an expanded period of time is not impossible. Incorruptible corpses, bodies that do not decay, were considered by the Catholic Church to be a miracle up until quite recently when it was discovered that the prevention of decomposition was caused by conditions within the tomb in which the body was laid to rest. These “Incorruptible” bodies did not appear to decompose for several decades and when they did, it was usually due to relocation of the corpse. The reason the bodies which have been moved and put on display still have not decomposed is due in part to regular “treatments” the bodies undergo to maintain the natural preservation. It is possible that somehow, with the aid of her environment, Pascualita’s body was able to avoid decomposition through a mixture of artificial and natural embalming. Her waxy skin tone is almost identical to the flesh of Incorruptible corpses. Some of the more wild claims about the body of Pascualita are that her eyes follow you around the store, she changes positions at night and there are even stories that a French magician visits the store at night, brings Pascualita to life and takes her out on the town. Whether you believe Pascualita is an incredibly life-like mannequin or a real dead body, I think we can all agree on one thing: Pascualita is not dating a mysterious French magician.