BrandyMarie
07-28-2008, 11:56 PM
How long does it take a body to really start to smell?
I'm wondering if her parents smelled it when they picked the car up and LE smelled it when they searched...how long was the body in and out of the car?
Seriously, if it was in the trunk for a few hours(driving to an alternate location)...could it smell that bad and can the smell linger for weeks? Seriously, why would the smell be there 3 weeks to a month after the fact?
truecrime
07-29-2008, 01:05 AM
I'm wondering if her parents smelled it when they picked the car up and LE smelled it when they searched...how long was the body in and out of the car?
Seriously, if it was in the trunk for a few hours(driving to an alternate location)...could it smell that bad and can the smell linger for weeks? Seriously, why would the smell be there 3 weeks to a month after the fact?Pallor mortis (Latin (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Latin): paleness of death) is a postmortem (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Postmortem) paleness which happens in those with light skin almost instantly (in the 15–120 minutes after the death) because of a lack of capillary (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Capillary) circulation throughout the body (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Body). The blood sinks down into the lower parts of the body creating the Livor mortis (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Livor_mortis).
Paleness develops so rapidly after death that it has little to no use in determining the time of death, aside from saying that it either happened less than 30 minutes ago or more, which could help if the body was found very quickly after death.
But it all depends on the conditions where the dead thing is.
if it is hot it will decompose faster and will start to smell. If it is cold it takes longer.
So if it's 80 degrees a dead body will start to smell alot sooner than one that is where the temperature is cold outside
with light skin almost instantly (in the 15–120 minutes after the death) because of a lack of capillary (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Capillary) circulation throughout the body (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Body). The blood sinks down into the lower parts of the body creating the Livor mortis (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Livor_mortis).
Livor mortis or postmortem lividity or hypostasis (Latin (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Latin): livor—bluish color, mortis—of death), one of the signs of death (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Death), is a settling of the blood (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Blood) in the lower (dependent) portion of the body, causing a purplish red discoloration of the skin:
Coroners (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Coroner) can use the presence or absence of livor mortis as a means of determining an approximate time of death. The presence of livor mortis is an indication not to start CPR (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Cardiopulmonary_resuscitation), or to stop it if it is in progress. It can also be used by forensic investigators to determine whether or not a body has been moved (for instance, if the body is found lying face down but the pooling is present on its back, investigators can determine that the body was originally positioned face up).
Livor mortis starts 20 minutes to 3 hours after death and is congealed in the capillaries in 4 to 5 hours. Maximum lividity occurs within 6-12 hours.
Decomposition (or spoilage) refers to the reduction of the body of a formerly living organism (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Organism) into simpler forms of matter. The body of a living organism begins to decompose (as part of a succession) shortly after death (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Death). Such decomposition can be categorized by two stages: In the first stage, it is limited to the production of vapors. In the second stage, liquid materials form and the flesh or plant matter begins to decompose.
Environmental influences affect decomposition. A body that is exposed to air (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Air) will decompose more quickly and exhibit more insect (
http://www.websleuths.com/wiki/Insect) activity. A buried body will decompose eight times slower than a body exposed to air. This is due in part to limited insect activity and possibly lower temperatures. Likewise a body submerged in water decomposes at half the rate of an exposed body. The rate of decomposition depends on the temperature of the water. Cold water slows decomposition and warm water causes faster decomposition. The body is also shielded from insect activity as long as it is submerged.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-68134.html