Question

Some men fishing off the coast of Jaws Beach in the Bahamas in 2010 made a gruesome discovery. As they were removing a hook from the mouth of a

Tiger shark they caught, the shark regurgitated a human foot and leg intact from the knee down. The fishermen also noticed that the shark's belly was
quite distended, and that the shark had a horrible smell emanating from its body. The police were alerted, and inside the shark found the remains of a man
who had been missing for days. It was not entirely clear at first if the shark killed and ate the man, or if he died of some other cause and was eaten after
death by the shark. Conduct an internet search about the habits of Tiger Sharks, Next, using what you know about death investigation, explain what you
would be looking for to determine the time of death, stage of decomposition and what you think most likely happened to the man.

Answer 1

To determine the time of death, I would perform a thorough examination of the remains, including the foot and leg that were regurgitated by the shark, as well as any other remains found in the shark's belly. I would look for signs of rigor mortis and livor mortis, as well as the state of decomposition, which can give an estimate of how long the body has been in the water. I would also perform a toxicology test to determine if there were any drugs or other substances in the body that may have contributed to the man's death.

In terms of the stage of decomposition, I would examine the body for signs of putrefaction, including the presence of gases and liquefaction of the tissues, as well as the presence of insect activity. This information, combined with the temperature of the water and other environmental conditions, can help to determine the rate of decomposition and the stage of decomposition that the body was in when it was eaten by the shark.

Based on the information available, it is most likely that the man died from some cause other than being attacked by the shark, and that his body was subsequently consumed by the shark after death. This is a common behavior among Tiger Sharks, which are known to scavenge on dead animals and human remains that are present in the ocean. However, without further investigation, it is impossible to say for certain what happened to the man in this case.