The temperature of a body can be used to estimate the time of death.
time since death in hours =
= ((((rectal temperature at time of death in °F) - (rectal temperature in °F at time t1)) / ((rectal temperature at time t1 in °F) - (rectal temperature in °F at time t2))) * (t2 - t1)) + 0.75
where:
• 0.75 hours (45 minutes) is a factor that can be added to take into account any delay in cooling
Limitations:
• Body temperatures at the time of death that are above or below normal can give misleading results.
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