Atlas of Forensic Pathology: Prahlow & Byard

Postmortem changes refer to various processes that occur in a body after death producing a variety of effects. These changes can be divided into early and late time periods, the latter represented by decomposition, however the entire process represents a continuum. While the sequence of events can be predicted, many variables can influence the rate and extent of these alterations to the body, and so it is simply not possible to reliably estimate an accurate time of death (“postmortem interval”) based on these changes alone.