Kevin Neal

Physical Laws of Death

Left to the forces of nature and unimpeded by the sentimental attempts by society to slow the inevitable entropy that accompanies every manner of death, a body is very active after a person dies. While poets may note the stillness and peaceful appearance of the dead, in fact, postmortem activity begins almost immediately to break down the corpse into its component parts in a process that can continue, under certain circumstances, for years.

In the case of India and Cody, even before their bodies were moved from the site where they were killed, decomposition began the moment they ceased to live. This decomposition, which begins as autolysis when the body's cells begin to digest themselves, is determined by physical laws based on the variables of temperature, body mass, manner of death and other factors, but generally follows a distinct process. Investigators can use this information to help answer many questions about a death.

One of the most important concepts of a proper forensic investigation is determining the postmortem interval (PMI), or the time elapsed from the onset of death to discovery of the corpse.

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1. Messages from the Dead
2. 700 Years Later
3. The Children are Missing
4. Unhealthy Family Dynamic
5. Complex Relationships & Conflicts
6. Search for Children Called Off
7. Behind the Scenes
8. Neal's Criminal Past
9. Lies
10. Sexual Predator
11. Bodies in the Cemetery
12. A Ghastly Find
13. Physical Laws of Death
14. The Stages of Death
15. The Bureau of Criminal Identification
16. Working the Crime Scene
17. Manner of Death
18. Not Much to Work With
19. Cause of Death
20. More Forensic Clues
21. "We Are Not in a Rush"
22. No Smoking Gun
23. "Hurt Someone They Love"
24. Incriminating Statements
25. The Physical Evidence
26. Forensic Botany
27. Bug Collecting
28. Forensic Entomolgy
29. How Flies Tell Time
30. After the Blow Flies Flew Away
31. Enter the Cheese Skipper
32. Date of Death
33. The Secondary Screwworm in Court
34. Battle over Bug Evidence
35. Cheese Skippers for the Defense
36. Counterpoint
37. The Body Farmer
38. Dr. Bass for the Defense
39. "The Liver Bothers Me"
40. The Jury Decides
41. Bibliography