The deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, are the subject of an active investigation after their bodies were found with one of their dogs at their home in New Mexico.
Forensic details suggest that the couple may have been dead for some time before being discovered, with a search warrant seen by the Guardian stating: “[Arakawa’s] body was in a state of decomposition with bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet.”
The discovery of mummified remains might have macabre connotations, but for forensic scientists it is not a particularly rare occurrence. Mummified bodies are found several times a year in the south of France and it is normally seen as an indicator of social isolation.
What is mummification?
After death, the body normally undergoes a process of decomposition that ultimately results in all skin and soft tissue breaking down, decaying and a skeleton being left behind. Mummification occurs when this process is stopped in its tracks, preserving the body’s tissues for an extended period of time. Mummification can be brought about artificially through embalming, or due to a body being frozen, or parched in hot and dry conditions. As mummification occurs, the skin and eventually the soft tissue beneath become desiccated, and the body ultimately takes on a dark, leathery appearance.
How could a body be mummified in Santa Fe in the winter?
The temperature in Santa Fe drops below 0C (32F) at this time of year, but indoor conditions are likely to be warm and dry. Warm, ventilated spaces, which in winter are also more likely to deter insects, provide the optimal conditions for a body becoming mummified.
Dr Nicholas Marquez-Grant, a forensic anthropologist at Cranfield University, said: “We tend to think about bodies being mummified in ancient Egypt, or those found in the Andes and high mountains, in frozen areas such as the iceman, or bog bodies. The mummification depends on the dehydration of the tissues, so in forensic cases you’d have this in a house with the heating on high.”
Does it normally occur in the extremities?
Mummification is a gradual process and can involve the complete body or be localised. Prominent body parts or those with a greater skin surface-to-tissue ratio, such as the fingers and outer ears, are more prone to desiccation, according to research.
Clothing, which might cause the body to retain more moisture, may also have an effect on which parts of the body mummify. Marquez-Grant said: “What we’ve found is that you may have someone who is wearing a T-shirt and that part of the torso has been skeletonised, while the legs and the feet have been mummified. In some cases we’ve had the reverse, where the bits that are covered tend to preserve better.
“You can get remains that are in different states of decomposition. The skull has a very thin skin layer so it becomes skeletonised more quickly. The hands decompose more quickly. The hips and buttocks have more fat so will take a bit longer.”
How long does it take for a body to be mummified?
Mummification is a gradual process, which tends to start with the skin becoming discoloured and papery and can eventually result in the entire corpse becoming dark brown, with a parched, leathery texture. A Swedish study of 102 forensic autopsy cases found that parchment-like skin was seen as early as three days postmortem and leathery desiccated skin could appear within six days of death. The entire body could show evidence of mummification within 18 days of death.
Marquez-Grant said: “It can be quite fast in some circumstances. A few days in desert conditions. There have been some experiments with animal cadavers showing that they become dehydrated within days or a week.”
