ABSTRACT
In most jurisdictions the time of death is legally defined as the time that the person is declared or recognized to be dead. Thus, a decomposed body or skeletonized remains, clearly deceased for significant periods of time, may have an official time of death that is days, weeks, months, or even years after the actual death occurred. However, being able to estimate the actual time of death (or the postmortem interval) can be critically important in criminal investigations, civil litigation, or settlement of the deceased’s estate.
