Although critical, algor mortis is often only reliable for deaths that occurred within the first 24 hours. Livor mortis, also known as post-mortem hypostasis or lividity, is the condition of blood ...

"You have different stages that you look for, like the livor mortis, which is the purple-ing of the body, and what we call the dependent areas you could tell by how long somebody has been dead.

Inside, Villegas was found dead, curled up nearly in the fetal position. Police said rigor and livor mortis had set in, indicating she had been dead for at least six hours and possibly up to a day.