This paper describes the sequence of analyses used to determine the nature of a
stain located on the floor of room in the former Athens Mental Health and Retardation Hospital in Athens,
OH. The location of the
stain was reported to be the position in which a decomposing body was discovered on January 11, 1979. The current
stain is found to contain strong evidence for both natural decomposition products and deliberate adulteration. Microscopic analyses, solubility tests, FTIR, ICP-OES, pyrolysis-MS, and derivatization GC-MS were consistent in determining the removable parts of the
stain to be composed mostly of
calcium and
sodium salts of
free fatty acids, such as
palmitic acid, consistent with previous descriptions of
adipocere. The
free fatty acids could have been formed via known bacterial degradation pathways or via saponification through the basic environment caused through contact with the concrete. To our knowledge,
adipocere formation on an exposed indoor environment has not been described before. The
stain and concrete also show signs of being chemically modified with an acidic
reagent, such as Blu-Lite--a
phosphoric acid-based cleaner that was a commonly used cleaner in the building from the time of discovery to the present day. The chemical etching appears to have been restricted to an area resembling the shape of a human body, which is consistent with deliberate adulteration of the appearance of the
stain.