30-year Retrospective Taphonomic Study on Aquatic Body Decomposition (1990 – 2019)

The study of human body decomposition serves an important role in helping death investigators estimate the time since death, the context of the death, and postmortem movement of deceased individuals. Experimental submergence studies have helped distinguish decomposition effects of marine, freshwater, and laboratory-induced taphonomy from terrestrial contexts, but few actual cases of recovered human remains have been used to verify such findings. Moreover, there are few longitudinal studies that compare taphonomic changes in both soft tissue and bone material based on seasonal effects, climatic changes, and environmental and ecological niches within aquatic landscapes. With such limited research on this topic, aquatic death investigations are fraught with difficulty. The goal of this 30-uear retrospective analysis is to develop a better understanding of decomposition processes to improve existing postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) estimations, as well as our understanding of the postmortem journey of remains in water.

Faculty Supervisor:

Gail Anderson

Student:

Partner:

Monash University (Southbank)

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Public Service, Policy, and Governance; Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Information and Communications Technology

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: