Which is not among the postmortem stages?

• A. Immediate
• B. Early
• C. Late
• D. Primary

Answer: (D)

Postmortem stages describe the progression of changes after death. The standard sequence includes immediate, early, and late phases, each reflecting how far time has passed and what changes are occurring. Immediate refers to the moment of death and the very start of bodily changes; early covers the initial postmortem changes like the onset of livor mortis and the beginning of cooling and stiffness; late describes more advanced decomposition, including pronounced putrefaction and tissue breakdown. The term primary isn’t used to label a postmortem stage, so it doesn’t fit among these phases.