The applicability of forensic time since death estimation methods for buried bodies in advanced decomposition stages

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243395
• Publication Date: 2020-12-09T23:05:31Z
• Authors: Stefan Pittner; Valentina Bugelli; M. Eric Benbow; Bianca Ehrenfellner; Angela Zissler; Carlo P. Campobasso; Roelof-Jan Oostra; Maurice C. G. Aal...; Richard Zehner; Lena Lutz; Fabio C. Monticelli; Christian Staufer; Katharina Helm; Vilma Pinchi; Joseph P. Receveur; Janine Geißenberger; Peter Steinbacher; Jens Amendt
• Keywords: Taphonomy; Forensic anthropology; Postmortem Changes; Baseline (sea)

Estimation of the postmortem interval in advanced stages is a challenging task. Although there are several approaches available for addressing changes (human) body or its environment (ecologically and/or biochemically), most restricted to specific timeframes individual and environmental conditions. It well known, instance, that buried bodies decompose remarkably different manner than on ground surface. However, data how established methods PMI estimation perform under these conditions scarce. important understand whether affected burial conditions, if corrective factors could be conceived, have excluded respective cases. We present first multi-methodological assessment human decomposition carried out donors Europe, at Amsterdam Research Initiative Sub-surface Taphonomy Anthropology (ARISTA) Netherlands. used multidisciplinary approach investigate morphology, skeletal muscle protein decomposition, presence insects other necrophilous animals as microbial communities (i.e., microbiomes) from August November 2018 associated with two complete exhumations eight partial exhumations. Our results clearly display current possibilities limitations remains provide baseline future research application.