How to Determine a Drowning Victim's Time of Death

Determining the time of death of a drowning victim can be a difficult process. Submersion under water, even for a relatively short period of time, decomposes the body quickly and leads to tissue breakdown that makes it harder to determine a time of death. An autopsy performed on the drowning victim must check a few specific things to determine the victim's time of death.

Instructions

1. Check for lividity, or pooling of blood, in the head and neck. Drowning victims assume a position with the head downward while in the water. The level of lividity can help determine how long the body has been underwater.

2. Note the appearance of the victim's eyes. The eyes of a person who drowned can appear glistening, almost lifelike. This fact helps determine that the victim died in the water and not beforehand, on land, and thus narrow down the time of death.

3. Inspect the drowning victim's skin condition. A body immersed between one and two hours has a wrinkled appearance. For longer than two hours, the skin starts to separate and come off the hands and feet, almost like gloves or socks.

4. Determine the state of rigor mortis. This process begins after about two hours, is established between 6 and 12 hours and begins to diminish between 24 and 36 hours. The state of rigor mortis helps determine how long the person has been deceased.

5. Take into account the state of decomposition. Note that this process slows in water-immersed bodies. Also, note the position of the body; most drowning victims are found in a semi-fetal position. This can show that the person did indeed die in the water and can help establish how long the victim was submerged.