Differential Decomposition

The study of decomposition is essential for any forensic anthropologist for estimating postmortem interval. While surface rates of decomposition have been studied, especially in certain areas (Mann et al. 1990), the decomposition rate of bodies submerged in water has rarely been studied using controlled experiments (Haglund & Sorg 2002; Sorg et al. 1997). Most forensic anthropologists simply rely on generalizations, such as a body decomposing one week on the surface of the ground is equivalent to a body two weeks in the water (after Mann et al. 1990). In addition, there has not been much investigation into whether a saltwater environment affects decomposition differently than a freshwater environment. This differential decomposition in diverse environments, whether open-air terrestrial or in fresh or saltwater, is important to consider in Texas because there because of an abundance of freshwater lakes and rivers and the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico. This study aimed to address two questions: 1)