Stage 4: Livor Mortis

The fourth stage of decomposition, Livor Mortis translates to “blueish color” [livor] “of death” [mortis] although it has many names including “hypostasis”, “suggillation”, “cadaveric lividity”, “darkening of death” and “postmortem staining”. Livor Mortis begins when circulation stops, blood vessels become more permeable due to decomposition, and blood settles throughout the corpse. Red blood cells, which are very dense, travel and pool in the lowest areas possible, staining the tissue. This means in a hanging death, discoloration would be seen in the feet, fingertips and ear lobes. Males who die from hanging may also acquire what’s known as a “Death Erection” (or “Angel Lust”) due to the pooling of blood in their penis.

Death Erection

In someone who died in the supine position (lying face up), lividity would appear on the corpse’s back. Drowning victims, or bodies found in water show signs of Livor Mortis in the face, upper parts of the chest, hands, lower arms, feet and calves because they are in constant motion. Livor Mortis begins within 20 minutes to 2 hours of death and initially causes the skin to appear blue and blotchy. Blood congeals in the capillaries within 4-5 hours and in 5-6 hours, blotches on the skin become more fluid. At this time, if pressure is applied to the discolored area(s), skin will turn white. Maximum lividity can be observed between 6-12 hours, and after 10-12 hours, skin will retain discoloration even when pressed. The name is slightly misleading as it tends to appear more of a blueish-purple or purple-ish red in most cases. Certain poisons alter the color of postmortem staining, which can aid in determining cause of death. In a carbon monoxide poisoning death, discoloration would be a cherry pink. Hydrocyanic acid poisoning appears bright red, and nitrates, potassium chlorate, potassium bicarbonate, nitrobenzene and aniline (which causes methaemoglobinaemia) all manifest as a red-brown or brown discoloration. Phosphorus poisoning causes dark brown postmortem staining. Discoloration is especially evident on the ear lobes and underneath fingernails and in fair-skinned people. Intensity of the color depends on the amount of hemoglobin in the blood of the deceased and hypostastis can be internal as well as external, often manifesting on the heart, lungs, kidney, spleen and other organs. During later stages of Livor Mortis, the body may also begin to show “marbling”, which is caused by the breakdown of hemoglobin.

Marbling

Tardieu Spots

Corpses in the later stages of Livor Mortis may also develop “Tardieu spots”, which look like purple liver spots. These dark spots are created by ruptured capillaries. In addition, “vibices” are often visible on bodies during the stage of Livor Mortis. Vibices look like strips or bands and are caused by pressure, usually left by tight-fitting clothing such as socks, belts and bras. In hanging deaths, a noose or other method of hanging may be visible in the form of a vibice. When pressure is applied to the corpse, it prevents blood from pooling in those areas.

Vibices seen on corpse. Lividity suggests corpse was in supine position at time of death.

Petechiae, larger haemorrhages or palpable blood blisters may form on patches of discolored skin. The subtle differences between postmortem staining/haemorrhages and bruising obtained in a fatal accident or murder is evident to investigators when determining cause of death. The discoloration caused by pooling of blood in the vessels appears slightly different from bruises which are formed when blood escapes the vessel. Livor Mortis is incredibly useful in determining whether a body has been moved after death. For example, if a body is livor on the back, indicating they died in the supine position but are discovered in prone position (face down), it is evident someone move the body. Signs of the fourth stage of decomposition are also a tale-tell sign that resuscitation is futile.
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Stage 5: Putrefaction

Early Putrefaction: Signs of bloating and marbling [see Stage 4: Livor Mortis] in corpse. Photo and observations courtesy of Strange Remains (author’s image credit: The Wellcome Collection)

The fifth stage of decomposition, Putrefaction, is brought on by the early effects of true decomposition. It is the time that proteins begin to be broken down by bacteria into smaller and smaller elements until tissues are no longer cohesive and most organs turn to liquid. Putrefaction is when “rotting flesh” becomes evident both in appearance and smell. Before this stage, most of the excess gas build up is contained within internal organs. While they may release through the same avenues they do in life (windpipe, anus, vagina), it is during putrefaction that the body has softened to the point that these gasses begin seeping through the blood vessels and throughout the body, causing severe bloating of the torso and limbs. Generally, there is a purge of fluids which appear similar to blood, through the nose and mouth. Skin will often begin to rupture, creating a lesion for the bacterial gasses to escape through. Putrefaction causes the tongue to swell and protrude from the mouth, at this point identification of the body becomes difficult, if not impossible. When a body is in advanced stages of putrefaction, it is impossible to determine the cause of death unless there are signs of poisoning, gunshot wounds, or fractures.

Advanced Putrefaction: Open abdominal cavity, purge of fluids exiting mouth and skin slippage [see Stage 6: Decomposition] visible on corpse. Eyes which were previously shut appear to be bulging from the sockets. Photo and observations courtesy of Stange Remains (author’s image credit: The Wellcome Collection)

 During putrefaction there is also quite a bit of postmortem peeing, pooping and farting. Sometimes, uterine elapse or even a phenomenon known as “Coffin Birth” can occur in which a deceased, pregnant woman gives birth with the aid of bacterial gases escaping the vaginal canal. Larval infestations are common during this phase of decomposition if the body is left to the elements. Putrefaction can take place as long as the temperature is above 50 degrees Farenheit (10 degrees Celsius) and below 118 degrees F (48 C). It is optimum at 70-100 degrees F (21-38 degrees C). When between 88-100 degrees F (31-48 degrees C) the rate at which putrefaction takes place will usually double. As with the previous stages of decomposition, there are many factors that influence putrefaction. Moisture is necessary to the process, and rapid drying can bring putrefaction nearly to a halt. The body being exposed to air helps the process along, mostly because it allows microorganism and insects, which are an integral part of the process, to easily access the cadaver. Clothing will initially speed up the process because it aids in keeping the body at optimum temperature to produce bacteria for a longer period of time. Tight clothing, however, will restrict the blood and tissue, preventing the escape of gas and also the entry of insects and microorganisms. Children tend to putrify more rapidly, while the elderly putrify slowly. Obese corpses putrify much faster than lean bodies due to the excess tissue which holds in more moisture and heat, creating and sustaining optimal conditions for bacteria to multiply for longer periods of time. Eyes slide outwards from the sockets, or “pop out”, causing the facial features to become distorted. If the deceased is buried in a casket shortly after death, buried in sandy soil,and/ or buried deeper than 6 1/2 feet (2 meters), where the body is protected from moisture and insects, less putrefaction will take place. It will be rapid in damp, marshy environments, or if the body is buried in a shallow grave, without a coffin and/or clothing to protect the corpse from the elements. This stage of decomposition will begin quickly if the body is exposed to water contaminated by raw sewage with extremely high levels of bacteria. As in Livor Mortis, a cadaver in water will begin to show signs of putrefaction on the face, then neck, upper extremities and chest, abdomen, and finally the lower extremities. Signs of decomposition consistently appear in this order when a body is floating in water because the corpse is constantly in motion. Once the body has been removed however, putrefaction will speed up, being helped along by all the moisture the deceased body has absorbed.

Read The Beauty of Human Decomposition in Japanese Watercolor by Strange Remains to learn more about the photos used in this article and visit The Wellcome Collection

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Survivors of Spontaneous Human Combustion

In 2013 a 9-day-old infant, “Baby Rahul”, made headlines when his mother, Rajeshwari Karnan admitted him to a local hospital in India to seek treatment for his burns which she claimed were caused by spontaneous combustion. Rahul was discovered lying in his bed, on fire, by a neighbor who heard the child’s screams. Professor R. Jayachandran, Rahul Karnan’s pediatrician believed his burns may have been caused by gasses expelling through his skin and theorized it may be a genetic condition. Twenty-five year old Rajeshwari has an older daughter, Narmatha, who has never suffered a believed instance of SHC. Since Rahul’s initial incident, Rajeshwari claims her son has spontaneously ignited on three other occasions. In January 2015 Rajeshwari Karnan admitted Rahul’s 10-day-old baby brother to Kilpauk Hospital in India after his feet supposedly caught fire while she was in the bath. The unnamed baby’s had burns covering 10% of his feet and had to spend over one month in the hospital recovering. The hospital was incredibly reluctant to release the newborn from the believing one of the parents, most likely Rajeshwari, was suffering from Munchausen by proxy syndrome and had set fire to her own children for attention. “Munchausen Moms”, mothers who harm their children to gain attention and sympathy (usually by way of slowly poisoning their children) have gained infamy in the past few decades as this mental illness which can affect either parent, but usually the mother, has seemingly become more widespread. Hospital dean Narayana Babu stated, “All tests reveal he [unnamed Baby Karnan] is completely normal. The parents went through psychiatric counselling and were found to be normal.”. The Karnans told reporters their community has ostracized them after the repeated burnings of their two children.

Frank Baker claims he has survived repeated instances of “partial spontaneous combustion” which he was diagnosed by a doctor. The doctor who supposedly diagnosed Frank with “partial spontaneous combustion” has never come forward or been mentioned by name. The first time Frank burst into flames, it was witnessed by a close friend. Frank claims he has spontaneously combusted three times since the initial incident. For several years, Frank Baker has been soliciting money for “Spontaneous Combustion Research”. I am not convinced, but here is his story in his own words.

Jack Angel is probably the most well-known survivor of SHC when in fact, he never experienced spontaneous combustion nor did he claim to. On November 12, 1974 Jack Angel was taking a shower in his mobile home in Savannah, Georgia when the water suddenly stopped flowing. When he went to check the water pressure, he was sprayed with scalding hot water. Jack Angel filed a civil-action suit in the Fulton County Superior Court over the burns which he received after being sprayed by the faulty water tank. Somehow, the accounts of this run-of-the-mill lawsuit has morphed into a wildly false story of surviving spontaneous human combustion. Today, people claim Jack Angel fell asleep on a water mattress and awoke to find a hole burnt in his stomach but his clothing intact. During the lawsuit with the water mattress company a doctor confirmed at the trial that Jack Angel had burned from the inside out.
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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like Evidence Suggests Spontaneous Human Combustion is a Reality, A Witness to Spontaneous Human Combustion and Other Stories of SHC, Cause of Death: Spontaneous Human Combustion and Other Stories of SHC and Children Who Remember Dying in Terrorist Attacks in their Past-Life