Body to the Bone

Estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI) is of great legal and societal importance when a deceased person is recovered. To estimate the PMI as accurately as possible, a better understanding of decomposition pattern and rate is essential. Although extensive literature exists on the decomposition process of adult individuals, limited information is available on the decomposition process of juveniles. Similarly, knowledge of bone degradation and its potential for estimating the PMI or burial interval (BI) remains scarce, and no established methods are currently available for either juvenile or adult skeletal remains. This dissertation contributes to the knowledge of the decomposition process of small-sized remains in a temperate maritime climate, including the variables that influence this process. It further explores skeletal degradation at the histological level by characterizing changes in bone morphology and collagen content through the testing and optimalisation of different histological staining methods. Together, these studies provide insight into the decomposition process of small-sized cadaveric remains and human skeletal remains, ultimately contributing to the development of a method to accurately estimate the PMI or BI. Iris Sluis is a teacher in Forensic Sciences and a scientific researcher in Forensic Taphonomy, with a special interest in the decomposition process and bone degradation of human remains. This dissertation is part of Science in Court, an interdisciplinary collaboration at Maastricht University.