Which postmortem indicator appears 1-2 hours after death and may indicate whether the body was moved?

• A. Cadaveric Spasm
• B. Postmortem Lividity
• C. Rigor Mortis
• D. Putrefaction

Answer: (B)

Postmortem lividity reflects the settling of blood in the body's lowest areas after death due to gravity. It typically becomes noticeable within the first one to two hours, which is why this indicator is linked to that timeframe. Importantly, because the color and location of the lividity depend on the body's position, moving the body after lividity has begun can shift the pattern to reflect the new position. That makes it a useful clue for determining whether a body was moved after death. Other signs don’t fit this 1-2 hour window: rigor mortis starts later, after about 2-4 hours and doesn’t indicate movement in the same way; cadaveric spasm can occur at death but is not a general postmortem timing sign; putrefaction appears much later.