finding out what time someone died

[kia cat]

My wife found her dad at his home a while back. He'd passed away during the night / early morning. The Police and Paramedics established there was nothing suspicious and it was natural causes, a post mortem was needed as it was a sudden death at home. Again natural causes were confirmed as the cause, the Coroner couldn't establish the time of death and for them there was no reason to. The date of death was recorded as the day he was found.

My wife now feels she needs to know when her dad actually died. I don't know if this another part of the trauma / grieving process [her Mum had died 5 weeks earlier]. I did ask her if she found out, would she then use this as a reason to beat herself up. "… He died at home, alone, should've been there … etc. …"

She maintains that's not the reason - I have my doubts - she just needs to know. She'd spoken to him at 4 in the afternoon on Wednesday, found him on Thursday [the next day] at nine in the morning.
There were the first signs of "lividity" is what either the Paramedic or Policeman said to each other, dark marks almost like bruising on the back of the neck. I know it's an imprecise / inexact science, so many other factors, it was very warm in the flat, heating on constant, set to 22°C. Any ideas please? Sorry this is so longwinded!

[boxtops]

kia cat, I am sure some of the medical people will be able to advise re forensics - I hope so, for Mrs K's peace of mind.

[Sqad]

I am having breakfast at the moment and then busy for the rest of the morning, but off the cuff, I would say that he died in the early hours of Thursday morning between 5.am and when he was found.

There will be more informative answersI am sure, but if not, on my return I will give my reasons.

[suzcherkin]

I am sorry I have no answers, but bless him, it sounds like he died peacefully in his sleep of a broken heart and his wife came to meet him.
Not everyone's belief, but I hope it helps you wife.

[bednobs]

having worked for a hospice at home service for some year and seeing lots of people die i would concur with sqad - 3/4/5 in the morning is a VERY common time to die

[ummmm]

How heartbreaking for your wife :-(

[Sqad]

Just back and it is snowing.

Accuracy for the time of death is impossible in this case and extremely difficult to ascertain under scientific conditions.

What do we know?
1) He died between 4pm on Wednesday and 9.am on Thursday.
2) At 9.am on Thursday, the paramedics reported “first signs of lividity”

What we don’t know!

1) If rigor mortis was present………it was surprising that this want mentioned either at the Coroner’s hearing or by the paramedics, so I shall make a huge assumption……rigor mortis was not present.
2) The body temperature.

I was also interested in the comment by bednobs.

Accepting the paucity of evidence, the fact that the Coroner could not come up with a time of death and my sketchy knowledge of Forensic medicine, my opinion remains the same, in that he died in the early hours of Thursday morning.

[AlBags]

To avoid further distress to all interested parties .. that would be near enough, surely?!

[kia cat]

Thanks all, Dr Sqad especially. I shall pass this on to my wife, at the right time.I hope that closes the "niggle" for her.