What is the term for the immediate stiffening of a body that provides strong evidence of suicide?

The term that refers to the immediate stiffening of a body after death is rigor mortis. Rigor mortis occurs as a result of chemical changes in the muscles following death, leading to the stiffening that can set in within a couple of hours. While rigor mortis itself can help establish a timeline for death, it is not exclusive to suicides and can occur in all deceased individuals.

Cadaveric spasm, often described in literature, is a specific form of muscle stiffening that occurs simultaneously with death and is associated with violent or traumatic deaths, including suicides. This condition may manifest as the body maintains a grip on an object, reflecting the individual's last moments, and often serves as strong evidence in determining the nature of the death being a suicide.

Post-mortem decomposition refers to the process by which the body breaks down after death, not related to the immediate state upon death. Hypostasis, also known as livor mortis, involves the settling of blood in the lowest parts of the body after death and occurs over a different timescale.

Thus, cadaveric spasm is the correct term for the immediate stiffening that may provide insight into the circumstances surrounding a suicide, especially when the position of the body and any