During a crime scene investigation, the coroner confirms that rigor mortis has set in. This helps to confirm an approximate time of death. The forensic nurse can explain this process (rigor mortis) to a group of students based on the fact that

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As the muscle begins to degenerate after death, the sarcoplasmic cisternae release their calcium ions, which enable the myosin heads to combine with their sites on the actin molecule. As ATP supplies diminish, no energy source is available to start the normal interaction between the actin and myosin, and the muscle is in a state of rigor until further degeneration destroys the cross-bridges between the actin and myosin.

During a Crime Scene Investigation, the Coroner Confirms That Rigor