After 1 month, the liquefaction process commences. During this stage the body loses the most mass. The muscles, organs and skin are liquefied, with the cadaver's bones, cartilage and hair remaining at the end of this process.
After two weeks, the body starts to bloat and change its color to red after the blood present in the body starts to decompose. Once the corpse surpasses the fourth week, you can witness liquefaction in the rest of the remains. The teeth and nails also begin to fall during this time frame.
However, on average, a body buried within a typical coffin usually starts to break down within a year, but takes up to a decade to fully decompose, leaving only the skeleton, Daniel Wescott, director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University, told Live Science.
After a year in a coffin, decayed bodies may appear different from each other. A body kept inside a pinewood casket in hot weather may have already started skeletonizing. On the other hand, an embalmed corpse kept inside a metal coffin in a dry climate could still be in the early decay stages.
But one thing in common is that the legs are neatly covered either with a blanket or half-covered with the lid of a casket. Why do they cover the legs in a casket? When a person dies, the feet swell, making it difficult for the shoes to fit, which is why the legs are covered.
Morticians will keep the body in a fridge at two degrees Celsius instead of preparing the body with chemicals. However, you need to keep in mind that a refrigerated corpse will only last for three to four weeks.
After two weeks, the body starts to bloat and change its color to red after the blood present in the body starts to decompose. Once the corpse surpasses the fourth week, you can witness liquefaction in the rest of the remains. A dead body looks like a dried up prune after 2 weeks in a coffin.
Exposure of large portions of the skeleton usually does not occur until four to six months after death. Bleaching and exfoliation of bone--the beginning stages of destruction of the skeletal elements--begins at about nine months' exposure.
Weeks to Years: Active and Advanced Decay
The third stage of human decomposition is “active decay,” which can occur over months or years. Now in a casket, buried, and out of sight, the once-living tissues of the deceased will continue to decompose. Putrefaction will occur, and the body will discolor and blister.
24-72 hours after death — the internal organs decompose. 3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose. 8-10 days after death — the body turns from green to red as the blood decomposes and the organs in the abdomen accumulate gas.
The Embalming Process, Step by Step
Before the embalming begins, the body is washed in a disinfectant solution. Limbs are massaged to relieve the stiffening of the joints and muscles. Any necessary shaving would also take place at this time.
Bloating and Putrefaction (1-4 Weeks)
This transition is part of the natural process of death. These anaerobic bacteria release foul-smelling gases as they break down cells and enzymes, causing the corpse to bloat and putrefy. This stage is characterized by a strong odor and visible changes in the body's appearance.
Opening a Casket After 5 Years
After 5 years of burial, the body's condition may be unrecognizable. Most of the tissues will have decomposed to the point where there is very little – if any – soft tissue left.
And if the body is floating in water less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) for about three weeks, the tissues turn into a soapy fatty acid known as "grave wax" that halts bacterial growth. The skin, however, will still blister and turn greenish black.
Changes in the muscles: Immediately after death, the muscles undergo primary relaxation, as mentioned above, which is followed by stiffening of muscles known as rigor mortis. With the onset of putrefaction, rigor mortis passes off, and secondary relaxation occurs.
Phase 4: Putrefaction
This refers to the destruction of soft tissues by bacterial action. It will usually occur 2-3 weeks after death. 3rd visible sign – purge of putrid bloodstained fluid from body orifices.
What Does a Dead Body Look Like After Two Weeks? After two weeks the body will be bloated from gas. It will also appear red-colored as the blood decomposes.
As the blood pools, patches appear on the skin within 30 minutes of death. About two to four hours postmortem, these patches join up, creating large dark purplish areas towards the bottom of the body and lightening the skin elsewhere. This may be less apparent on darker skin. This process is called livor mortis.
Black putrefaction (10-20 days after death) – exposed skin turns black, bloating collapses and fluids are released from the body. Butyric fermentation (20-50 days after death) – the remaining flesh is removed, butyric acid is formed "fermenting" the remains and the body begins to mold if in contact with the ground.
But if we were to talk about what happens to the body after embalming, well after three – four months, the yellow-green complexion would have turned to a brownish-black colour because of the blood vessels that have deteriorated to the point that the iron inside of them spills out.
From three to five days after death, the body will begin to bloat from gasses produced from internal decomposition. The body could actually double in size and turn a greenish color. Extremely unpleasant and long-lasting odors called putrification begins. Blood and foam will begin to seep from the mouth.
A study carried out by researchers at Australia's first 'body farm' also found that corpses can move during the decay process. And it's more than just a twitch. They found that movement occurred in all limbs after death, including in the advanced decomposition stages.
A body may be different in death to life because:
a mortician or funeral director has changed a body's appearance through clothing, or hair arrangement, or cosmetics. Such “dressing” of the body may be very different to how the person in life would have done it. the body smells different.
The brain and nerve cells require a constant supply of oxygen and will die within a few minutes, once you stop breathing. The next to go will be the heart, followed by the liver, then the kidneys and pancreas, which can last for about an hour. Skin, tendons, heart valves and corneas will still be alive after a day.