An assessment of the Henssge method for forensic death time estimation in the early post-mortem interval.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Time-since-death (TSD) diagnostics are crucial in forensic medical casework. The compound method by Henssge and Madea, which combines temperature and non-temperature-based techniques, is widely used to estimate TSD. This study aims to validate the predictive ability of this method in a cohort of 76 deceased individuals with known times of death (TOD).

Methods

A convenience sample of 76 deceased individuals was examined at the Institute of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. The study included individuals who died at the hospital and those with sudden death in public. Exclusion criteria included age under 18, known infection or sepsis, polytrauma, bleeding, and hyperthermia. The TSD interval was calculated using the Deathtime software.

R

SUBMITTER: Heinrich F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11732859 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature