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"(postmortem lividity) is a reddish, purplish-blue discoloration of the skin due to settling of blood, by gravity, in the vessels of the dependent areas of the body. In dependant areas pressed against a hard surface, the vessels are mechanically compressed by the pressure and blood cannot settle in them. This gives these areas a pale coloration"
"Livor mortis usually becomes apparent within a half hour of death. In individuals dying of cardiac failure, livor mortis may actually begin to develop prior to death."
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula/9337/deathtime.html
I may have found a partial answer to the question about the blanching.
It is about halfway down this page, under the heading livor mortis.
So if this site is correct, someone/something was putting pressure on those areas during the time that lividity was being established.
There is a period of time after death that livor can shift if the body position is moved.
I thought from the autopsy report that the purple contusions in her mid shins would probably be consistent with a strong hit for the baton. I could be wrong .........
I believe the autopsy said the lividity was found on the anterior (front) of her body. Which would indicate that she was face down.
The part that has me puzzled is the way the coroner worded it as "fingerprint" blanching.
medial= pertaining to the middle
Taking what mysteriew posted: "So if this site is correct, someone/something was putting pressure on those areas during the time that lividity was being established," I took it to mean that pale finger marks (prints) were made on her body soon after she died. In other words, someone picked her up and moved her.
And after a period of time after death (the time period varies) lividity becomes fixed and won't move even if position is changed. So it doesn't sound like something they did when they moved her to the body bag.
I think it means that the fingers while she was alive were pressed hard against something. -OR- it might mean that the fingers were wrinkled, like what happens when you have your hands in water for awhile.Right. So, gee, I wonder who could have left fingerprint blanching on her?
Right. So, gee, I wonder who could have left fingerprint blanching on her?
And yes, it only mentions the wrinkling of the fingers and palmer surfaces of the left hand.The body is cold to the touch. Rigor mortis is absent. Postmortem lividity is purple and fixed over the anterior surfaces of the body. There is fingerprint blanching noted over the right medial breast and blanching over the areola and central portion of the left breast, the left thign, and calf.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb202/toshroger/1194825593.gif
Transcription from the autopsy
And yes, it only mentions the wrinkling of the fingers and palmer surfaces of the left hand.
You know, my thing about the blanching could be wrong. I just read that in order to determine the time of death, the examiner will press the area discolored by pooled blood inside the body with his finger. If it blanches (turns lighter), then the blood is not clotted yet. But then the discoloration returns. If pushing with his finger doesn't cause blanching, he will try something harder, like forceps. Again, the discoloration will return.
So, by fingerprint blanching, he may have meant that when he performed the test, she had not been dead long enough for him to have to use anything harder than a finger to produce blanching. Or, since bruised areas look similar to pooled blood areas but do not blanch, he may have been discovering which discolorations were due to bruises and which to natural processes, and he just wanted to disclose that he had used his finger.