Question

Two bodies are being examined by the county coroner after being discovered in the woods. The temperature of the bodies is significantly different. They are found within 2 feet of one another. The don't appear to be moved. One had a temperature of 65.5°F. The other had a temperature of 57.5°F. What is the most likely reason for this difference in algor mortis?

the sizes of the bodies are different...or...the bodies were two different genders?

Answer 1

The sizes of the bodies are different. If they both passed at roughly the same time and place, then the body with a higher temp is probably the larger one, and the cooler body is probably the smaller one.

Either that, or the warmer body was wearing darker/thicker clothes than the cooler one, or the shade of a tree just so happened to fall over one body but not the other, resulting in two different temperatures.

Hope this helped!