In a normal, healthy adult, body temperature averages around 98.6°F (37°C). The rate at which a body cools after death is influenced by multiple factors, including the ambient temperature, clothing worn, and body size.
In the case described, the woman was found in her tracksuit and was sweating at the time of her death. This indicates that her body temperature was likely elevated due to physical activity. However, if six hours had passed since her death and her body temperature was 88°F when found by the police, two factors likely accelerated her heat loss:
1. Ambient temperature: The lower the ambient temperature, the faster the body loses heat. If the temperature on the trail was lower than her body temperature, her body would have cooled more rapidly.
2. Sweating: Sweating is the body's way of regulating temperature through evaporative cooling. If the woman was sweating at the time of her death and then stopped sweating, the evaporative cooling process would cease, leading to faster heat loss.
Both factors combined likely accelerated the rate at which the woman's body cooled after death, resulting in her body temperature being lower than the average body temperature of a living person.
while out jogging during a police search. Her body was found on the trail hours later she was still in her tracksuit and was sweaty at the time of her death. A suspect quickly confess he had killed her six hours before police found her what should her body temperature be when she was found by police? If her temperature was 88°F what two factors accelerated her heat loss
1 answer
1 answer