A Taphonomic Atlas of Human Decomposition Patterns from Postmortem Computed Tomography

Abstract

Studies addressing internal and external decomposition in Forensic Sciences are needed to broaden the use of innovative non-invasive imaging methods, such as postmortem computer tomography (PMCT). Current examinations of decomposed bodies rely principally on forensic skeletal analysis. However, the use of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT), micro-CT, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become more widespread, focusing on the Virtopsy approach as “virtual anthropological” protocols that could be used in conventional autopsy practice and mass disaster situations.
This work aimed to compile a taphonomic atlas of human decomposition patterns from PMCT by collecting whole-body PMCT data from a longitudinal dataset of known or estimated postmortem interval (PMI), and to establish a baseline framework for whole-body PMCT at freshly, early, active, and advanced stages of decomposition, focusing on the brain and kidneys CT image slices from New Mexico Decedent Imaging Database of 60 donors with natural death, different software for segmenting organ CT scans were evaluated, and 59 pairs of kidneys and 60 brain 3D models were created in Avizo Amira package for its semi-automated workflow. Decomposition-dependent changes in morphology were qualitatively and quantitatively assessed using R. Reproducibility was tested, and there was no significant intra-observer difference. Organ morphology tended to alter as decomposition proceeded; the advanced stage was the most complex to segment, with the smallest organ volumes because of the difficulty in establishing boundaries of the organs. Using this approach, a decomposition catalogue was produced for the brain and kidney. Importantly, the individual organ systems can be straightforwardly shared in standard export formats as a resource for the Forensic Science community. Quantitative PCA analysis showed little difference in postmortem changes for fresh and mild stages of decomposition, but the moderate and advanced stages were more variable. So, the atlas could be useful for postmortem measurement in PMIE from the volume, surface averages, and morphology of the targeted organ, which will help in describing the taphonomy of corpses. Future work should extend the catalogue to other organ systems and systematically evaluate the internal changes to provide a platform for the creation of quantitative predictive models for PMI.

Date of Award	19 Feb 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Northumbria University
Supervisor	Ed Schwalbe (Supervisor), Patrick Randolph-Quinney (Supervisor), James Coey (Supervisor) & Peter Cross (Supervisor)