• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About DCC and the writer
  • Guest Writers
  • Testimonials
  • Archives 2009 – present
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact

Defrosting Cold Cases

Unsolved cases and book reviews

  • Cold Case Database: Index and Summaries
    • Index
      • Cases Index A-G
      • Cases Index H-N
      • Cases Index O-Z
    • Summaries
      • Case Summaries A-G
      • Case Summaries H-N
      • Case Summaries O-Z
  • Two Research Methods
  • How to search for a case
  • Case of the Month
  • Book Reviews
You are here: Home / Forensics / Hal’s answers 4

Hal’s answers 4

April 30, 2011 By Alice

WARNING: this post includes graphic images!

Jason asked: “What about drugs-usage? Don’t some drugs ‘contract’ the pupils? Or, would you not be able to say for sure what the normal pupil size was in the first place – so you can’t say if the pupil is contracted or dilated? But perhaps in case of OD, the pupils remain abnormally sized? Or, do they revert back to normal even several hours after one is deceased?

Also, can you see diseases within the eyes? I thought liver-chirrosis colors your eyes yellowish?”

Good questions!

“Yellow eyes”, is marked discoloration of the sclera.  It is called scleral icterus, which is suggestive of bilirubin build-up in the bloodstream. In medical-legal death investigation, it alerts to the potential of hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer and other medical issues.

Yes, a multitude of recreational drugs of abuse and prescription medications will cause pupils to dilate (larger).  Opiates and alcohol tend to constrict (smaller).   But, because of the many potential influences and factors that can result in either pupil constriction or dilation, the appearance plays no particular role in contributing to the medical opinion regarding cause and manner of death.  Toxicological analysis is the gold standard for objective data.

No, pupils do not “revert back to normal even several hours after one is deceased”.  But, there are a quite a number of changes that occur post-mortem. Pupils often dilate due to muscular relaxation, however, one or both pupils may subsequently constrict due muscular stiffening from rigor mortis.  It stands to reason that fluid evaporation will also alter the eye/pupil appearance, as would trauma or even post-mortem palpation of the eye.

Another important post-mortem change (not visible), is potassium levels in the vitreous fluid.  Vitreous is an interesting topic; I will find some time to discuss vitreous in greater detail.  Best regards, -Hal

Thank you for sharing!

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Click to share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Related

Filed Under: Forensics Tagged With: Hal Brown

Primary Sidebar

Dina Fort

Top Posts & Pages

  • Sisters in Death by Eli Frankel
  • Missing: Joanna Lopez
  • The cold case of Bernard Oliver (1950 – Jan 1967)
  • Daniel K. Wood, Jr. (Oct. 30, 1941 - Jul. 23, 1954)
  • Cold Case Database

Categories

  • Book Reviews (186)
  • Case of the Month (130)
  • Cold Case News (229)
  • Forensics (287)
  • Guest Writers (56)
  • Miscarriages of Justice (131)
  • Missing Persons (127)
  • Unidentified (32)
  • Unsolved (522)
  • Zeigler (66)

Author Notes

Since 2009, I write about unsolved cases that need renewed media attention. I only do research and leave active investigations to the authorities.

My posts cover homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to unsolved cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme, tone, and research. It is my prerogative to not review a book. Please check the FAQ page for more.

My databases are free to the public. Cases are sorted by the victim’s last name.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the About page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you cannot find the answers there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Subscribe to DCC by email

Enter your email address to get new posts notifications in your inbox

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

Protected by Copyscape

Copyright © 2025 ·News Pro · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress