Bodies move after death: New insights for forensic science

While it may seem that science knows all the secrets related to the processes that occur in the body after death, Alyson Wilson’s discovery brings new and surprising conclusions. Although it might seem insignificant to some, her research could provide valuable insights for those who deal with death.

According to the AFP agency's portal, the movement of bodies after death can mislead those performing autopsies. Wilson's research findings may, therefore, significantly aid in identifying missing persons and linking them to unidentified bodies. Subtle shifts of bodies can suggest a different scenario of death than what happened.

Wilson owes her discoveries to filming bodies using cameras. She works at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER), also known as the "body farm." This location is secret; its official location is unknown.

Wilson recorded the decomposition processes of bodies at intervals of every 30 minutes over a period of 17 months (about 518 days). She observed that, for example, the arms of corpses, which initially were away from the body, gradually moved closer to the torso. In an interview with ACB News, she emphasized that these movements could be observed over a longer period.

Wilson hopes that her research will help reduce the number of missing persons not previously linked to unidentified bodies. By understanding the movements of bodies after death, the number of incorrect diagnoses of causes of death can also be reduced. This could also lead to a reduction in errors in interpreting crime scenes and event sequences.

The research team also reanalyzed human brain activity after death. Until recently, it was commonly accepted that the brain stops functioning within 2-3 seconds after death. This complicates efforts to develop a head transplant method. However, new studies suggest that this process might occur differently, thus providing new theories.