Rigor mortis is the postmortem stiffening of the body’s muscles. It may or may not involve some degree of actual shortening of the muscles. In most cases, rigor mortis begins within 1-2 hours after death; it begins to pass after 24 hours Livor mortis is the purple-red coloration that appears on dependent portions of the body other than areas exposed to pressure after the heart ceases to beat. It results from the settling of the blood under the force of gravity Tardieu spots are petechiae and purpuric hemorrhages that develop in areas of dependency secondary to the rupture of degenerating vessels under the influence of increased pressure from gravity Algor mortis is the process by which the body cools after death. Cooling takes place only if the ambient temperature is cooler than the body temperature at the time of death. Tache noire is the dark, red-brown stripe that develops horizontally across the eyes when the eyelids are not closed a...