Busch, Kenneth W.Busch, Marianna A.Diamond, Patricia A.2011-09-142011-09-142011-082011-09-14http://hdl.handle.net/2104/8208Post-mortem interval (PMI) is the time elapsed since a person died. Currently there is no accurate method for determining PMI of skeletal remains. Existing methods are best suited for deciding whether a bone is of forensic interest, meaning less than fifty years old. This is a problem for areas that have extreme climates, specifically those areas that experience high heat and high humidity, which accelerate decomposition. The objective of this study was to develop a method to accurately predict PMI of skeletal remains through luminescence studies of the change in the intensity of the luminol reaction with skeletal remains over time. Previous research in the area demonstrated that a correlation can be found between the PMI and the change in intensity over long periods of time. This research aims to demonstrate a similar correlation with PMI and to correctly predict the PMI of skeletal remains over much shorter age ranges.en-USBaylor University theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact librarywebmaster@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.Postmortem interval.Chemometrics.Multivariate analysis.Luminescence spectra.ThesisWorldwide access.Access changed 1/14/14.