Multipoint Axial Thermometry for Death-time Estimation

Rectal thermometry, a form of single-point thermometry, is a standard method by which postmortem core temperature is measured for death-time estimation today. A recent study indicated that single-point thermometry measures the temperature of a central isotherm that exists at whichever body-depth is reached by the thermometer tip. The study demonstrated that postmortem central isotherms exist for extended periods inside the body as their radii gradually reduce during postmortem cooling. The temperature of a central isotherm, therefore, has low specificity for the number of minutes elapsed after death. In addition, the study demonstrated that a body’s overall postmortem axial thermal profile continuously changed, beginning from the moment of death, throughout the cooling interval. A body’s postmortem axial thermal profile therefore has high specificity for the number of minutes elapsed after death at the time it is measured. Finally, the study proposed the application of a body’s postmortem axial profile for death-time estimation, to eliminate the uncertainty associated with single-point thermometry. This paper proposes multipoint axial thermometry (MAT) as a method of measuring a body’s postmortem axial thermal profile for death-time estimation. A novel handheld MAT device prototype is proposed, and its application is demonstrated empirically and numerically.