Post-mortem cooling of the human head: an infrared thermology study

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Biophysics

Background:

• Understanding post-mortem cooling is crucial for estimating time since death in forensic investigations.
• The human head presents unique thermal properties due to its complex structure and vascularization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively analyze the post-mortem cooling patterns of the human head using infrared thermology.
• To identify reliable facial features for thermal analysis and develop accurate cooling models.

Main Methods:

• Infrared thermology was employed to capture detailed temperature maps of the human head over 15 hours post-mortem.
• Image processing techniques were utilized to analyze cooling behavior of twelve preselected facial features.
• Statistical analysis was performed to compare various mathematical models fitting the cooling data.

Main Results:

• A distinct difference in cooling patterns was observed between the upper and lower regions of the head.
• The lower part of the head exhibited a consistent cooling pattern across all studied cases.
• A novel double application of Newton's law provided the best fit for the observed cooling data.
• The chin and zygoma demonstrated the least data-fitting error, while the mouth showed the most.

Conclusions:

• The study establishes a reliable method for analyzing post-mortem head cooling.
• The consistent cooling pattern of the lower head offers potential for improved time-since-death estimations.
• The developed mathematical model and identified key facial features enhance the accuracy of forensic thermal analysis.