Journal of Forensic Research

Estimating the Time after Death on the Basis of Corneal Opacity

Abstract

Wataru Kawashima, Katsuhiko Hatake, Risa Kudo, Mari Nakanishi, Shigehiro Tamaki, Shogo Kasuda, Katsuya Yuui and Akiko Ishitani \r\n

Estimation of the time after death (TAD) is an important aspect of forensic science. The cornea becomes increasingly opaque with an increase in TAD and corneal opacity is used for TAD estimation. However, previous methods are subjective, and there is a risk of human error. To establish an objective method, we propose a new method for TAD estimation.
\r\nWe applied RGB image analysis to the corneal color of cadavers. We then examined if there was a correlation between these color parameters and actual TAD, age, position at death, and environmental temperature. We found that corneal opacity was affected only by TAD.
\r\nThe method described here is objective and easy to use, and TAD can be estimated within a very short period of time, making this method particularly useful. To further increase the accuracy of TAD estimation, other quantifiable parameters could also be evaluated.
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