Seasonal decomposition and the effect of clothing in Cape Town, South Africa.

Abstract

Unidentified, unclaimed human remains are a substantial problem in many developing nations, including South Africa. Most forensic cases in Cape Town involve clothed individuals found in thicketed environments. To assist in local medico-legal death investigations, we gathered taphonomic data on six clothed and four unclothed 60 kg porcine bodies as proxies for human decay. This study took place in Delft, Cape Town, over two summers and two winters to assess the impact of seasonal variation, using weight loss, extent of bloat, and vertebrate scavenging as assessment markers. In Cape Town's temperate climate, decomposition in the hotter, drier summer season occurred more rapidly than in the significantly colder and rainier winters, regardless of the presence of clothing (summer vs. winter: 18 vs. 80 days to 68% mass loss, 4 vs. 24 days bloat duration). Double-layer cool-weather clothing caused a notable decrease in decomposition rate and altered scavenging behavior in winter (clothed vs. unclothed: 108 vs. 71 days to 68% mass loss, 364 vs. 622 scavenger visits). Single-layer warm-weather clothing had a comparatively negligible effect in summer (clothed vs. unclothed: 84 vs. 91 days to 68% mass loss, 318 vs. 294 scavenger visits). Although further validation is required, this study provides crucial information for forensic practitioners and researchers in the Cape. Death investigations that do not account for the influence of clothing and vertebrate scavenging on decomposition may be inaccurate, especially in environments where scavengers are known to be highly impactful agents of decay, such as the habitat currently under study.