ABSTRACT
Figure 1 illustrates a female victim of manual strangulation who was found in a canal. Initial photographs of the damp skin of the throat revealed almost no evidence of abnormality. After drying in themorgue refrigerator, the anterolateral neck region contained amass of irregular abrasions. These were present earlier but were obscured by dampness. A body found in the rain or removed from water may have a bitemark that is overlooked at the scene but becomes visible at the morgue. The longer it dries, the more intense becomes the contrast between abraded and nonabraded skin. That may also lead to confusion as to its time relation to death.
