Experimental use of pig cadavers to locate homicide victim in a large river

Abstract

The transport of full body human remains in fluvial environments has few published examples to guide recovery efforts. The decomposition stage, flow environment, water temperature and river morphology can all interact to affect the rate and distance deceased human bodies will travel, and case studies or experimental efforts are rare. In this case report, we provide an experimental deployment of pig carcasses to emulate a real homicide event where a body was dropped into a large 7th order Northern Great Plains river to guide recovery of the victims remains. Two pigs were deployed, one wrapped in a tarp to reflect the victim’s circumstances and the other uncovered in a time period and flow condition comparable to what was known of the homicide. The results of the transport are reported, along with the successful recovery of the victim’s remains near one of the pig cadavers. Although small in scope and un-replicated, this case study should be a valuable contribution to knowledge of full body human fluvial taphonomy in the future and help inform future search efforts of comparable systems.