Which factor is used to estimate time of death besides body temperature?

• A. Body temperature
• B. Rigor mortis
• C. Hair color
• D. Alibi corroboration

Answer: (B)

Rigor mortis is the stiffening of the body's muscles after death due to depletion of ATP and biochemical changes in muscle fibers. This pattern—starting a few hours after death, progressing to full rigidity by about 12 hours, then gradually dissipating over the next day or two—gives a time window for estimating time of death that's separate from body temperature. Temperature affects how quickly rigor appears and how long it lasts: higher ambient temperatures speed onset and shorten duration, while colder conditions slow onset and can prolong rigidity. Other factors like body size, prior physical activity, and the cause of death can tweak the timing, but the general progression remains a reliable postmortem clue.

Hair color doesn’t provide a consistent time indicator after death, and alibi corroboration relates to a person's whereabouts rather than postmortem changes, so they aren’t useful for estimating time of death in the same way.